FIFA World Cup 2026: Records broken, knockout berth sealed; Messi brace powers Argentina to 2-0 win over Austria
Texas, June 23
Lionel Messi reinforced his status as one of football's greatest-ever players at Dallas Stadium, scoring twice to overcome an early penalty miss and guide defending champions Argentina to a 2-0 victory over a resilient Austria side in their Group J clash of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, June 22.
With his brace, Messi not only secured victory for his side but also rewrote the record books by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history ahead of his 39th birthday on June 24, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose. He opened the scoring in the 38th minute to move past Klose's tally of 16 goals and later added another in stoppage time to take his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, two ahead of the German legend.
Messi has also become just the second player in men's FIFA World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different editions of the tournament (2014, 2022 and 2026), according to Opta. The only other player to achieve the feat is Klose.
Notably, the two goals also propelled Messi to the top of the scoring charts in the ongoing World Cup, with five goals in just two matches. He had entered the fixture on the back of a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening encounter.
Coming to the match, the Argentine captain endured a frustrating start after missing a penalty in the sixth minute, sending his effort wide following a VAR-awarded spot kick. Austria responded with an energetic pressing display and troubled the defending champions for much of the first half.
However, Messi broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. A clever dummy from Thiago Almada allowed the ball to run through to the veteran forward, who calmly finished into the bottom corner to give Argentina the lead.
Austria continued to push after the break, but Argentina managed the game well through a series of tactical substitutions from head coach Lionel Scaloni around the 64th and 65th minutes, introducing fresh legs in Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Gonzalez to exploit spaces as the match opened up.
As Austria committed players forward in search of an equaliser, Argentina struck again deep into stoppage time. Messi led a swift counter-attack and finished clinically in the 95th minute to seal a 2-0 victory and complete his brace.
The 38-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches and has equalled the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal, a mark jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.
The win moves Argentina to the top of Group J with six points from two matches, putting them through to the last 32.
— ANI
Reader Comments
What a player! Messi breaking Klose's record is huge. But Austria played really well too, pressing Argentina in the first half. Football in India needs to take lessons from how Argentina manages their team - those substitutions at 64-65 minutes were smart.
Messi equalling Fontaine and Jairzinho's record of scoring in 6 straight WC games - that's GOAT stuff. The way he finished that counter-attack in stoppage time showed his class. Wish we could see more of this in India's football scene.
Argentina is looking unstoppable! But honestly, Messi missing that penalty early on shows he's human after all. Great resilience though - that's what separates champions from the rest. Hope our Indian Super League players learn from his mental strength 💪
Messi turning 39 this week and still scoring braces in World Cups! Meanwhile our cricket team struggles to find form in T20s 🙈 Watching Argentina play is pure art - the dummy from Almada for the first goal was slick. Top of the group, through to last 32 - Vamos Argentina!
As much as I admire Messi, I have to say - that penalty miss was poor, and Austria deserved something from the game for their first-half effort. Argentina were lucky to get that early penalty decision from VAR. Still, no denying Messi's greatness, 18 WC goals is insane!
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