Lionel Messi came off the bench to score his World Cup-leading sixth goal of the tournament for Argentina as thedefending champions topped tournament debutant Jordan 3-1 atDallas Stadium in both teams' final first round match in Group J. With Messi initially watching from the sidelines, Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martnez scored their first career World Cup goals for the Albiceleste in the first half, but Jordanian substitute Musa Al-Taamari made things interesting when he pulled one back for the underdogs just 10 minutes into the second. Messi, this World Cups top scorer, came on with about a half-hour left to play. The GOAT, who turned 39 on Wednesday, was given a rest by coach Lionel Scaloni with Argentina already qualified for the round of 32, but he gave the crowd what they came to see with one of his signature free kicks with just over 10 minutes left to play. Here are my takeaways: 1. Argentina Didnt Need Messi Scaloni said on the eve of the match that Messi, who missed several games for MLS champion Inter Miami earlier this season because of what the club called "muscle fatigue, wouldnt start in the group stage finale. Messi had started every World Cup game for the Albiceleste since 2010; the last time he came off the bench was 20 years ago in 2006, during his first trip to the planets most important sporting event. But the calculation by Scaloni paid off. Lo Celso who missed his countrys triumph four years ago in Qatar because of an untimely hamstring injury scored a left-footed, Messi-esque free kick that beat Yazeed Abulaila and settled into the top corner of the goalkeepers net. Martnez then doubled the advantage in the 31st minute by converting a penalty kick that was awarded following a video review. And while Jordan made things interesting by cutting the lead in half, they never again tested Argentine backstop Emiliano Martnez, who didnt make a single save all night. 2. But (Of Course) The GOAT Stole The Show Anyway. Messi famously hates to not play, even when doing so could put him at risk of further injury. Not every manager has the guts to save him from himself when necessary. Scaloni doesnt have that problem. The pair were teammates at that 2006 World Cup in Germany, and theres a trust level between the two men after winning three consecutive major competitions (one world title and two Copa Amricas). Still, with the score still 2-1, it was no surprise to see Messi come on and try to pad the lead. It didnt take him long, with the Barcelona legend beating Abulaila clean to seal the win and set yet another record, becoming the first player in the 96-year history of the World Cup to score in seven consecutive matches. 3. Beware A Rested Messi In The Knockout Stage As much as Argentina showed that they can score without the living legend and that they might not need to rely on him the way they did in 2022, when he scored seven times (including twice in the World Cup final), he remains their undisputed leader. Hes also making a case that even at his advanced age, he still might be the best player in the world. Well find out for sure now that the business end of the tournament is here, with each upcoming match potentially the end of an era if Argentina loses. But with Messi playing the way he has so far in the country he now calls home, who would bet against him emulating the great Pel by leading his team to back-to-back World Cups for the first time since Brazil repeated all the way back in 1962. 4. Cape Verde Up Next For Argentina While Jordan goes home from its first World Cup appearance 0-3, another debutant the tiny West African island nation of Cape Verde has been this tournaments Cinderella story. The Blue Sharks led by breakout star Vozinha tied title favorites Spain and two-time champions Uruguay in group play to advance against the longest odds. Now they get to play spoilers against the trophy holders. It seems like an impossible task, to be sure. But given what theyve already accomplished so far, you can be certain that Scaloni and his battle-tested team wont make the mistake of taking them lightly.

Both teams enter the final game with a chance to advance to the round of 32

Jun 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics catcher Jonah Heim (15) is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn ImagesThe Athletics took on the Los Angeles Angels, looking to win their third straight game and wrap up this interdivisional series victory with a game to spare. Much like the last time these two pitchers squared off, the Angels scored multiple late runs to break a tie game and earn a 5-2 victory. The As finished the night 1-8 with RISP, lost another player to injury and saw Max Muncys struggles at third base prove costly once again.Heim Time!With one out in the second, As catcher Jonah Heim sent the first pitch he saw from Detmers 445 feet to center field. His seventh home run of the season, a birthday blast, put the visitors ahead 1-0 after the first two innings of this matchup.Birthday bomb pic.twitter.com/Ps5oL0mWa8 Athletics (@Athletics) June 28, 2026Defense!In the bottom of the third inning, As left fielder Tyler Soderstrom exited the game with left hip soreness. Right fielder Colby Thomas switched to left field, while Lawrence Butler entered to play right. The ball immediately found Thomas in his new position. He made a nice diving catch on a sinking line drive for the third out of the inning.Common Colby Catch pic.twitter.com/3tpAJnzmCa Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 28, 2026As Waste Chance to Increase LeadAthletics designated hitter Shea Langeliers led off the fourth by drawing a walk. Butler lined a single to left, advancing Langeliers 90 feet. The rally stopped there as Detmers escaped the jam by retiring the next three hitters he faced. The Angels southpaw recorded eight strikeouts through his first four innings of work.Angels Take the LeadPerkins walked the first batter he faced in the fourth inning. Then Jorge Soler singled, putting runners on second and third with no outs. With one out, Angels right fielder Jo Adell hit a ball down the left field line that Thomas misplayed, allowing Adell to reach third base and driving in both runners to give the Angels a 2-1 lead. Perkins got out of the inning without allowing any more runs as the Angels failed to bring Adell home. Detmers quickly got his team back to the plate, throwing a seven-pitch fifth inning to maintain the hosts one-run advantage. Perkins matched his counterpart, keeping his teams deficit at one.Thomas Redeems HimselfNick Kurtz singled and then Butler walked to give the Athletics two base runners with one out in the sixth. Thomas hit a two-out RBI single to left, scoring Kurtz to tie the game at two and end Detmers outing. The game-tying hit snapped Thomas 0-for-19 skid. Angels right-handed reliever Chase Silseth relieved Detmers. He struck out Muncy to end the inning, stranding the two inherited runners and keeping the game tied.Thomas ties it up pic.twitter.com/4A47CY82Ny Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 28, 2026Perkins night was done after five innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk, while recording five strikeouts and inducing six flyouts in what was arguably his best outing as a starter this season. Right-hander Justin Sterner entered out of the Athletics bullpen and pitched a scoreless sixth inning, wiggling out of some two-out trouble. Muncy Having A Bad NightThe Angels took the lead in the bottom of the seventh against As reliever Geoff Hartlieb. With two outs and a runner on third, Los Angeles third baseman Denver Guzman hit a ground ball that rolled under his counterpart Muncys glove and into left field. Josh Lowe scored the go-ahead run on what should have been the third out of the inning. Not the As NightDown 3-2, the As looked to mount another comeback in the eighth inning. They put two runners on with one out against Angels hard-throwing reliever Sam Bachman. Heim walked to load the bases, putting the tying run 90 feet away. Bachman kept his team in the lead by striking out pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes before retiring Muncy to end the threat. The inning may have played out differently if Thomas had taken the at-bat instead of the slumping Cortes. The Athletics failure to capitalize on that prime scoring opportunity kept the momentum firmly in the Angels dugout. The hosts added insurance runs in the eighth. Infielder Oswald Peraza hit a one-out RBI single off As left-hander Matt Krook. Logan OHoppe followed with an RBI single up the middle to extend his teams lead to 5-2. Angels closer Kirby Yates tossed a one-two-three ninth inning to earn his second save of the season and set up the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.Seeking the series win, the Athletics will turn to right-hander Aaron Civale, who will make his 14th start of the season and third since returning from the injured list. The Angels will counter with young left-hander Sam Aldegheri, who is 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA through his first seven appearances, including four starts, this season.

We've reached the win-or-go-home stage of the 2026 World Cup. Let's check out the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook for each Round of 32 game as of June 27. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. SUNDAY, JUNE 28 South Africa vs. Canada To Advance: CAN -340, RSA +260Moneyline: CAN -145, Draw +250, RSA +470 MONDAY, JUNE 29 Brazil vs. Japan To Advance: BRA -310, JPN +240Moneyline: BRA -145, Draw +290, JPN +410 Germany vs. Paraguay To Advance: GER -750, PRY +490Moneyline: GER -280, Draw +400, PRY +800 Netherlands vs. Morocco To Advance: NED -188, MAR +152Moneyline: NED +110, Draw +210, MAR +290 TUESDAY, JUNE 30 Ivory Coast vs. Norway To Advance: NOR -190, CIV +156Moneyline: NOR +110, Draw +240, CIV +260 France vs. Sweden To Advance: FRA -950, SWE +600Moneyline: FRA -370, Draw +490, SWE +1000 Mexico vs. Ecuador To Advance: MEX -184, ECU +150Moneyline: MEX +115, Draw +210, ECU +280 WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina To Advance: USA -800, BIH +530Moneyline: USA -280, Draw +380, BIH +800 Belgium vs. Senegal To Advance: BEL -194, SEN +158Moneyline: BEL +105, Draw +220, SEN +290 England vs. DR Congo To Advance: ENG -1200, DRC +700Moneyline: ENG -360, Draw +440, DRC +1100 THURSDAY, JULY 2 Switzerland vs. Algeria To Advance: SUI -340, ALG +260Moneyline: SUI -155, Draw +300, ALG +440 Croatia vs. Portugal To Advance: PRT -235, CRO +186Moneyline: PRT -110, Draw +230, CRO +330 Spain vs. Austria To Advance: ESP -1200, AUT +670Moneyline: ESP -330, Draw +390, AUT +1100 FRIDAY, JULY 3 Argentina vs. Cape Verde To Advance: ARG -2500, CPV +1320Moneyline: ARG -650, Draw +600, CPV +1900 Australia vs. Egypt To Advance: EGY -140, AUS +114Moneyline: EGY +150, Draw +190, AUS +230 Ghana vs. Colombia To Advance: COL -300, GHA +235Moneyline: COL -135, Draw +250, GHA +410

SportsLine's Jon Eimer reveals his Ghana vs. Croatia best bets for World Cup 2026 action

Shane van Gisbergen is fighting for a Chase spot, but it is going to be a more difficult challenge after San Diego. Despite having one of the best cars, van Gisbergen wrecked after Austin Hill got loose on a restart. Now, the Trackhouse Racing driver is facing an uphill climb with only one road course left on the schedule.Van Gisbergen sits 17th in the point standings, one spot out of the Chase. The driver of the No. 97 car is five points below Ryan Preece, who sits on the bubble. With nine races left in the 2026 NASCAR regular season, van Gisbergen has to maximize his points situation at Sonoma Raceway this weekend.There has been an obvious improvement from van Gisbergen on oval tracks, but he has to take advantage of the road courses. San Diego took a massive shot at his odds to make the Chase, but van Gisbergen still has an opportunity to put himself in a better position.More: How to watch NASCAR live at Sonoma in June 2026, full scheduleThis article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Shane van Gisbergen's Chase odds take big hit after San Diego wreck

From hat tricks to even more hat tricks, the superstars weve come to expect every day brilliance delivered in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, and then some.But this tournament is also where new stars are born, and that was especially true in the first-ever group stage with 48 teams all competing for a spot in the knockout stage.To commemorate a historic and a just outright fun group stage, here are my First and Second All-Group Stage starting lineups: JUMP TO: First-Team Group Stage XI | Second-Team Group Stage XI GOALKEEPER Three games, three clean sheets Spain marched out of its Group without conceding a single goal, and the star keeper barely had to break a sweat doing it. DEFENDERS Led Japan's back line for the full 90 minutes against the Netherlands and Tunisia and doubled as the build-up engine, leading the Samurai Blue in line-breaking passes on the way to the knockouts. He anchored the defense of Germany's nine-goal flying start before an ankle injury ended his tournamenta half of group stage dominance too good to leave out. The calm, ball-playing head at the heart of the defense that won Switzerland's group as he helped stymie Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina following a steady opening draw with Qatar. The right-back and Atlas Lions captain scored a goal and helped set one up in the 4-2 comeback over Haiti in a pivotal performance, and coming down the flank all tournament as Morocco banked seven points. MIDFIELDERS The midfield maestro pulled the strings for Group C winners Brazil and saved his best for last, laying on two assists in the 3-0 win of Scotland. Senegal's brightest spark with three goals, including the tap-in that sealed the day in a must-win 5-0 performance over Iraq. England's most creative playerten chances created in the Three Lions' first two gamesthe metronome of Group L winners England before earning a breather against Panama. FORWARDS With back-to-back braces against Senegal and Iraq four goals so far the Real Madrid man spearheaded France's perfect nine-point sweep of its group. Messi scored every single one of Argentina's goals in the opening two matchesa hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. Oh, and he became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. The PSG star reminded everyone he's the reigning Ballon d'Or winner with a stunning video game-esque first-half hat-trick against Norway, one of the fastest in World Cup history, totaling four goals in the group. GOALKEEPER The 40-year-old Instagram sensation stole the show with a Man-of-the-Match wall in the goalless stand against Spain, keeping Cape Verde's debut fairytale alive across three draws and into the last 32. DEFENDERS The breakout fullback of the group stage his towering header sealed a 2-0 win over Australia, the first World Cup goal by a U.S. defender in over a decade, as the Americans topped Group D. Steady at center-back and a threat from set pieces, heading home in the win over Tunisia as the Dutch cruised to the top of Group F. Nineteen years old and completely unbothered the kid anchored a Spain back line that didn't concede a single goal across the entire group stage. A right-back who scored like a winger, netting in back-to-back wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo as Colombia stormed through the Group K unbeaten. MIDFIELDERS The 20-year-old announced himself with a super-sub brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then a goal and an assist on his first start to beat Canada three goals and Switzerland's top scorer, all from a kid who began the tournament on the bench. Scored in all three games opener against Brazil, winner against Scotland, and an equalizer against Haiti becoming the first player on an African squad to find the net in every group match. One of the tournament's top ball winners, he ran the show in Ecuador's stunning 2-1 upset of Germany, stealing the ball to tee up the equalizer before delivering the pass for the winner that sent his country through. FORWARDS Scored in every game four goals, including a brace against Scotland the relentless engine that carried Brazil to the top of Group C. The towering striker arrived on the World Cup stage with back-to-back braces against Iraq and Senegal four goals before being wrapped in cotton wool for the France game. The super sub had five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) off the bench, repeatedly rescued Germany when the starters couldn't.

'Boots' put Zayas down twice before forcing the corner to step in and stop the fight

Argentina celebrate midfielder Giovani Lo Celso's goal (Paul ELLIS)Lionel Messi came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the tournament as Argentina warmed up for their World Cup knockout match with Cape Verde by beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday.The ageless Messi tops the scoring charts in North America as the tournament heads into the last 32.Cape Verde's players will be wondering how they can stop Messi when the debutants ranked 67 face the champions on July 3 in Miami.With qualification already in the bag, Messi started on the bench but came on after an hour in Texas to huge cheers to get his side's third with a free-kick.Argentina finished emphatically top of Group J with maximum points after also beating Algeria 3-0 and defeating Austria 2-0, all those goals coming from Messi.The holders and their 39-year-old talisman look formidable, albeit in one of the weaker groups.Coach Lionel Scaloni said Messi could have played the full game."But he chose to let his teammates have minutes, he chose to think about what's coming, and that speaks volume about him," he said.Giovani Lo Celso, who scored Argentina's first of the evening, said it had been almost the perfect group stage."We knew we had very tough opponents, that it wasn't going to be easy," he said."It's a pity about the goal we conceded today, we would've liked to end with a clean sheet."Still, I think it was a very good group stage. Now the most important part begins."From now on, it's about turning the page and thinking about Cape Verde, who will be a very tough opponent."- Fans demand Messi -A much-changed Argentina scored in the first half through a Lo Celso free-kick and a penalty by Lautaro Martinez.Mousa Al-Tamari pulled one back 10 minutes after half-time for Jordan, whose first World Cup was already over.Scaloni made nine changes, retaining only goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and forward Lautaro Martinez from the Austria win.Jordan were already eliminated after defeats to Algeria and Austria, rendering the match inconsequential in terms of the tournament.But competition in the Argentina squad is fierce and Scaloni wanted his side to join France and co-hosts Mexico with nine points.Argentina also wanted to make a statement ahead of the meeting with surprise packages Cape Verde as they attempt to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups.The home of the Dallas Cowboys was packed with Argentina fans and their team dominated from the off.Lo Celso got the party started, bending in a free-kick on 19 minutes that goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila got nowhere near having inexplicably moved in the opposite direction.A relaxed-looking Messi smiled broadly from the sidelines.Soon after the champions doubled their lead when Martinez rifled in a penalty following a VAR review when Marcos Senesi appeared to be kicked in the face as he went for a diving header.Minutes after half-time the crowd began calling for their captain Messi, the leading scorer in World Cup history.As he stripped off to come on, Tamari stabbed in from close range to pull a goal back and stun much of the stadium.The match felt like a friendly after that, before Messi bent in a tame free-kick with 10 minutes left to go with his hat-trick against Algeria and brace versus Austria.pst/rcw