Argentina Has Chance to Match 28 Year Old Record in Jordan Match

Argentina have emerged as one of the strongest teams at this year’s World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Austria. Led by Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni’s side have won their first two matches without conceding a goal. A win over Jordan on June 28 in Dallas would allow the Albiceleste to match a record set 28 years ago.

Argentina are one of only four teams yet to concede in the tournament, alongside Mexico, Spain, and Ghana. However, the South Americans have been particularly impressive defensively.

Across matches against Algeria and Austria, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has faced just one shot on target, a free kick from Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer.

To find a similar defensive start, one has to go back to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. In that tournament, Argentina opened the group stage with a 1-0 victory over Japan and a 5-0 win over Jamaica without conceding a goal.

In each of the following six World Cups, Argentina allowed at least one goal within their opening two group-stage matches.

Notably, the 1998 tournament remains the only World Cup in which Argentina completed the entire group stage without conceding. They finished the group phase with a 1-0 victory over Croatia, preserving a perfect defensive record.

Now, in their final group-stage match against Jordan, Argentina have the opportunity to repeat that achievement for the first time in 28 years.