Lionel Messi became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer as his brace guided Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria and secured their place in the Round of 32.
The Argentina captain took his tally at the global showpiece to 18 goals, surpassing Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who previously held the record with 16. The milestone came just days after Messi netted a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening Group J match.
Despite missing an early penalty and seeing several efforts denied by Austria captain David Alaba, Messi eventually broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Thiago Almada’s clever dummy allowed Facundo Medina’s pass to reach the veteran forward, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
Austria remained competitive throughout the contest, with Marcel Sabitzer coming closest to troubling Argentina on his 100th international appearance. However, Ralf Rangnick’s side struggled to create clear openings against the defending champions.
Messi then sealed the victory deep into stoppage time with his second goal of the afternoon, ensuring Argentina maintained its perfect start to the tournament and booked a place in the knockout stage with a match to spare.
The result also moved Messi to the top of the Golden Boot standings and added another chapter to his remarkable World Cup career. The 39-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho as the only players to achieve the feat.
“To be honest, I’m really happy about the win, especially as it’s such a crucial victory, hard-fought and well-earned, but one that gives us peace of mind for what lies ahead. This is the World Cup; it was a very evenly matched, very intense match, and we’re happy to have picked up six points and to have already qualified,” said Messi.
Argentina will now turn its attention to its final group match, while Austria must beat Algeria to keep its hopes of progressing alive.
