Argentina 2-0 Austria: Lionel Messi is back at Argentina’s front line after securing the World Cup’s all-time scoring record with victory in Dallas.
Lionel Messi inspires Argentina again (Image: Getty Images)
Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup and helped Argentina advance to the final tournament with the victory over Austria.
Messi had a golden chance to become the World Cup’s all-time top scorer as Argentina were awarded an early penalty, but his shot went wide.
The Argentine icon continued to be the main threat for his country, and he finally got the chance in the 38th minute to take the ball home. He then doubled his work on the night with his 18th World Cup goal as Argentina took control of Group J.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have already booked their place in the round of 32 and will be confirmed as group winners if Jordan fail to beat Algeria. Argentina will conclude the group stage with a match against Jordan, while Austria will face Algeria in the final group match, but there is still work to be done to advance to the next round.
With all eyes on Messi ahead of the match, a partisan Argentine crowd cheered on the Inter Miami superstar. However, he missed his first great chance to make history once again.
Lautaro Martinez was put through and was taken down by the combination of Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch. The referee initially called for a play-on, but a penalty was awarded after a VAR review. Messi was expected to be the one to come forward, but his low shot went wide of the post.
The 38-year-old then had another great chance midway through the first half, but hesitated in front of goal and allowed David Alaba to make a well-timed tackle.
Lionel Messi scores in six consecutive World Cup games (Image: Getty Images)
Messi was originally supposed to score a record-breaking goal when the ball ricocheted off him in the empty box, but Kevin Danso made an excellent block.
His moment finally came at the end of the first half when he halted Argentina’s great run. Facundo Medina played a perfect low ball, which Rodrigo de Paul copied. This allowed Messi, without any resistance, to fire a deadly shot into the bottom corner with his left foot.
Nico Gonzalez could have made things a lot easier in the closing stages for Argentina after he grabbed Messi’s corner kick but headed it wide. González and Enzo Fernandes had chances late on but were left frustrated.
Messi, as expected, was the man to close out the match when Argentina hit the fatal shot. The former Barcelona star initially named Julián Álvarez, but the ball eventually passed to Messi, who scored with his second try.
And while that goal took the 2022 World Cup winners into the last 32, Messi and his team will be hoping to go further and add another trophy to their illustrious collection.
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