ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lionel Messi scores a goal. world cup recording with him 17th and 18th goalsand defending champion Argentina advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday.
Messi had a great chance to break the record in the 9th minute, but his penalty went wide of the target. Approximately 30 minutes later, Messi caught Alexander Schlager leaning in the opposite direction, after Thiago Almada threaded a pass from Facno Medina directly into Messi’s left foot.
In the dying seconds of stoppage time, Messi extended his tally by firing a shot past several defenders after Schlager had his first shot rejected. He appeared in the match alongside German striker Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals in four World Cups from 2002 to 2014.
Two days before my 39th birthday, sick father returns homeMessi celebrated twice with his teammates at the packed home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, much to the delight of a decidedly pro-Argentine crowd.
Most of the fans wore Messi’s familiar white and blue striped No. 10 jersey, dwarfing the small pockets of the red-clad Austrian supporters under the air-conditioned comfort of a retractable roof on the second day of another hot Texas summer.
This record marks the first time in 40 years since Maradona’s Goal of the Century in a 2-1 win over England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico City. The other, number 10, scored a solo run from the other side of midfield to give Argentina a two-goal lead in the 2-1 win over England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico City. Argentina won the title.
Messi joins Juste Fontaine and Jairzinho as the only players to score in six consecutive World Cup games. Argentina extended their winning streak in the competition to eight since their shock loss to Saudi Arabia in the 2022 opener in Qatar.
Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals in the tournament and has scored 12 goals at the World Cup since turning 35. He is the best European soccer player and has won the Ballon d’Or eight times. his first World Cup hat-trick in Argentina 3-0 They defeated Algeria in their Group J opener in Kansas City last week.
Austria opened with a 3-1 win over Jordan and can advance if they beat Algeria in Kansas City on Saturday.
Argentina will return to AT&T Stadium to face Jordan in their final group game on Saturday night.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
