Nicolas Otamendi (6/10):
The veteran slotted into the centre of defence in place of the injured Romero and unsurprisingly didn’t let his side down.
Julian Alvarez (5/10):
Despite nursing an ankle injury, took over up top from Lautaro midway through the second half and missed a great chance to kill the game late on before Messi finished the job. Argentina really need the Atletico Madrid ace fit and on form as soon as possible to lighten the load on Messi.
Nicolas Gonzalez (6/10):
Part of a double-substitution with Alvarez and went agonisingly close to scoring with a glancing header from a Messi corner.
Nico Tagliafico (N/A):
Only came on in the closing stages for Medina.
Leandro Paredes (5/10):
Brought in for De Paul for the final eight minutes but still managed to pick up a booking for a poor challenge.
Lionel Scaloni (7/10):
By no means a vintage a display from Scaloni’s side, but they didn’t need to be at their best because they had Messi. The one worry, of course, is that Argentina remain incredibly reliant on their 38-year-old captain, who could arguably do with a rest against Jordan – if only to see if anyone else is capable of scoring in his absence.
