Messi subs in and scores again as defending World Cup champ Argentina beats Jordan to sweep group

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Giovani Lo Celso became the first Argentina player other than Lionel Messi to score in this World Cup as the defending champions finished the group stage with a three-game sweep after a 3-1 victory over Jordan on Saturday night.

Lo Celso, in his first World Cup start, put Argentina ahead to stay when he scored on a direct free kick in the 19th minute. Messi added one of his own after entering the game in the second half, and the top scorer in World Cup history extended his mark to 19 goals.

“I am very happy for him, for the moment he is having,” Lo Celso said in translated remarks about their captain.

Messi, the leader in this tournament with six goals, was among nine Argentina starters changed from the previous game since Group J was already clinched before the match. He entered in the 60th minute, three days after his 39th birthday and in the same stadium where he broke the scoring mark Monday, and scored in the 80th minute.

He scored all five of Argentina’s goals in wins over Algeria and Austria, including his first World Cup hat trick and then two goals in his record-setting game Monday. He has scored in seven consecutive World Cup games, breaking a tie with France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho for the longest all-time streak.

Lautaro Martinez put Argentina up 2-0 when he scored on a penalty kick in the 31st minute, in the same sequence when his close-range shot ricocheted off the crossbar.

Martinez, who was subbed out for Messi, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez were the only players to start all three of Argentina's group matches.

“I was able to include all the footballers for them to play. This was a goal that we have always set for ourselves,” coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “I think they played quite well in a difficult match. They showed today that we can count on them.”

Argentina, which has seven wins and two draws in its last nine World Cup games, plays in the round of 32 on Friday against Cape Verde, the smallest country to earn a spot in the knockout round. That game is in Miami, the home of Messi’s Major League Soccer team.

This is the fifth time Argentina has won all of its matches in group stage, and first since back-to-back tournaments in 2010 and 2014. Argentina has 14 wins, two losses and three draws in its last 19 group games.

France and Mexico were the only other squads in this expanded 48-team World Cup to get the maximum nine points in the group stage.

Jordan, the world’s 72nd-ranked team, was outscored 8-3 in losing all games in its first appearance in the international tournament.

“As a first participant in the World Cup, I believe that the most important thing that we can come out of in terms of lessons is for the players to have experienced firsthand what they were trained on,” coach Jamal Sellami said through an interpreter. “Now they are more aware of the requirements of such competition.”

Mousa Altamari, who entered the game at the start of the second half, scored in the 55th minute for Jordan.

Lo Celso and Martinez both scored their first World Cup goals for Argentina.

“I didn’t have any doubts about them,” Scaloni said through an interpreter. “Lautaro is doing amazing work. We are just so happy with him since he’s been on our squad. If you score a goal, all the better for them and all the better for the squad. We’re very happy with them.”

Only a couple of minutes after Lo Celso was offside when he kicked the ball in the net but not counting for a goal, he got a free kick after being tripped up just outside the penalty box by Mohannad Abutaha, who drew a yellow card.

That was the first direct free kick for an Argentina goal in a World Cup since Messi against Nigeria in 2014.

“I waited a lot for this moment, I dreamed it a lot and I think that what I saw today was much more than what I had imagined or dreamed,” Lo Celso said.

After Martinez shot off the crossbar, Julian Alvarez followed with a header that was deflected by keeper Yazeed Abulaila over the net. But a VAR replay showed that Alvarez took a kick to the face on the play, setting up the penalty.

Nicolás Paz, who made his World Cup debut subbing in for Messi late in the 3-0 win over Algeria in the opener, made his first start in his spot this time. Paz and Lo Celso were joined by forwards Marcos Senesi and Giuliano Simeone making first World Cup starts.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Argentina's Lionel Messi, second from left, scores his side's third goal on a free kick during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Jordan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Argentina's Lautaro Martinez (22) is substituted by Lionel Messi (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Jordan and Argentina in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)

Argentina's Lautaro Martinez (22) and Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila (1) watch the ball hit the crossbar during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Jordan and Argentina in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias) CORRRECTION: Corrects to ball hitting crossbar, not a goal by Martinez.

Argentina's Giovani Lo Celso (11) celebrates an opening goal on a penalty kick during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Jordan and Argentina in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

Argentina's Lautaro Martinez (22) scores their second goal against Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila (1) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Jordan and Argentina in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans have grown less proud of their country's history or the way its democracy works over the past decade, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Americans’ pride in the U.S. on several key attributes has dropped since 2017 — including the nation's military and its political influence around the globe — according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. This poll was conducted in April, as the United States and Iran fought over the Strait of Hormuz in a prolonged war that started with the U.S. and Israel launching strikes on Iran.

New Gallup polling also finds that only 53% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American, the lowest reading in the trend dating back to 2001.

The findings point to a broad decline in patriotic sentiment over a tumultuous period that included most of President Donald Trump's first term, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation that contributed to a backlash against President Joe Biden. That timeframe also covers Trump's return to the White House, where he's taken more aggressive actions on immigration and issues abroad.

Much of the falling positivity comes from Democrats, who have become increasingly disenchanted with the country since Trump's first term.

At the same time, most U.S. adults say that being an American is “extremely” or “very” important to their identity, highlighting an enduring connection, even as some become increasingly critical of the country's past or the government’s current actions.

Americans' pride in the way democracy works in the U.S. has declined 14 percentage points, falling from 42% in February 2017 to 28% now.

In addition, Americans' pride in their armed forces has dropped 19 percentage points since 2017, and pride in the U.S.’s history has declined 14 percentage points. In each case, the drop is largely driven by Democrats, with some movement among independents as well.

Karla Galdamez — a 48-year-old Democrat who used to teach U.S. history — believes America has regressed under the Trump administration. While the Californian is not proud of Trump, she is pleased with how far the U.S. has come in 250 years.

“It’s a country that really wanted to be different and really wanted to be better," she said. "Despite some of the very ugly history that we have of segregation and slavery ... if you look at the trajectory of the last 250 years, we’ve done nothing but get better and move toward a more egalitarian nation.”

Only 14% of Democrats and 28% of independents say they are “extremely" proud to be an American, according to Gallup's new poll, compared with 70% of Republicans.

The AP-NORC poll found that Republicans are especially likely to be proud of the nation's armed forces. About 9 in 10 Republicans say the military makes them “extremely” or “very” proud, compared with about 6 in 10 U.S. adults.

Samantha Fulks, a 40-year-old in San Antonio, Texas, says she’s proud to be an American and doesn't hide it. The Texas Republican showcases that pride with an American flag in her front yard — as well as Trump flags in the back yard — and she plans to wear red, white and blue on the Fourth of July. Fulks comes from a military family, and while she believes the country's involvement in Iran is unnecessary, she remains a proud supporter of the military.

“I still support our troops no matter what they do,” Fulks said.

Matt Stafford, a 39-year-old in Massachusetts, is proud of being an American, even if the U.S. political system frustrates him.

He has a bald eagle tattooed on his back to represent the United States, its freedoms and “all the things we’re supposed to stand for as a country.” But despite that national pride, he often finds himself frustrated by politicians on both sides. Stafford — a centrist who identifies as “politically homeless” — wants Democrats and Republicans to come together to look out for their constituents in middle America.

“I love America, but our biggest problem is how we’re pushing both sides — like the left and the right — to the extremes," he said.

For many Americans, their partisanship is often intertwined with their national identity. The poll finds that Republicans are much likelier than Democrats or independents to say being an American is “extremely” or “very” important to their personal identity.

Younger people are also much less likely than older people to say being an American is highly important to their personal identity. About three-quarters of Americans ages 60 and older say being an American is highly important to them, compared with only about one-third of U.S. adults under 30.

The AP-NORC survey found that the vast majority of Black Americans — 73% — say their race or ethnicity is “extremely” or “very” important to how they see themselves, higher than the share that say that about being an American.

Vincent Harris, a 60-year-old in California, says his identity as a Black man rises above other attributes for him because of how Black men are treated in America.

“A lot of people are scared of Black men just because we are Black and we are male. And that's crazy,” Harris said. “People don't even take you for who you are as a person; they just look at your race.”

About half of Hispanic Americans say their race or ethnicity is highly important to them, compared with 22% of white Americans.

Black and Hispanic adults are also more likely than white adults to say their family’s ancestry or country of origin is highly important to their personal identity.

Harris, who identifies as a gay man, says being an American is “a wonderful thing” because of the freedoms that Americans have, despite the obstacles he's had to overcome.

“It’s great to be an American — regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or whatever. As long as you have that freedom of choice as an American, that’s a great thing," Harris said. "Right now, I wouldn’t live in any other country in the world. I’m here. I love it.”

The AP-NORC poll of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

FILE - People say the Pledge of Allegiance before a visit by President Donald Trump, May 1, 2026, in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - A demonstrator carries an American flag upside-down near the White House during a protest taking place on the day of a military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary, coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, June 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)