Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history as he struck twice to give Argentina a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday, sending the defending champions into the last 32. The 38-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest of all time, pounced late in the first half with a trademark left-footed finish after neat build-up play, adding to his hat-trick in Argentina's opening match to make it a record 17 goals in total at the World Cup. He then sealed the match deep in second-half injury time, outfoxing four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.
Messi's record-breaking goal
Messi's first goal came in the 38th minute after being set up by Facundo Medina, with Thiago Almada cleverly letting the ball run through his legs to leave Argentina's talisman alone with the goal gaping. The goal broke the tie with Miroslav Klose, who had held the all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals. Messi had equaled that record with a hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening game. The Argentina fans, who greatly outnumbered their Austrian counterparts, rose to acclaim their hero.
Missed penalty and early drama
It should have been even better for Messi, who missed a penalty early on, stunning the fiercely pro-Argentina crowd of 70,649 at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys. Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the box, sandwiched by two Austrian players, and referee Amin Mohamed gave a penalty after a VAR intervention. Messi's run-up was slow and his weak effort off target, dragging it wide. For all his brilliance, Messi is surprisingly poor from the penalty spot by his standards; he also saw his spot-kick saved by Wojciech Szczesny in a 2-0 win over Poland at the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina went on to be champions, and missed at the 2018 tournament.
Defensive resilience and late seal
In the 19th minute, Messi had a clear chance at goal, only for Austria captain David Alaba to steal the ball off his toes at the last moment. Alaba denied Messi again just after the half-hour mark, blocking his goalbound shot with goalkeeper Alexander Schlager stranded. Ralf Rangnick's Austria, who beat debutants Jordan 3-1 in their opener, were content to sit back and did not have a shot on target in the first half. Argentina failed to build on their lead in the second half, which drifted with neither side creating much. Austria threatened slightly more, but Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was only once seriously troubled. Then Messi popped up at the death to have the last word, sealing the match with his second goal.
Reactions and significance
"Very happy for the victory, it was very important, hard, hard, hard, and it gives us peace of mind for what is to come," Messi, at his sixth World Cup, told broadcasters. "The match was even, intense and we are happy to get six points." Messi's name rang out along the concourses of the stadium after another virtuoso display. "There is not much to say about Leo. More than 20 years being the best in the world, he is the best in history," said striker Julian Alvarez. Austria coach Ralf Rangnick added, "We knew that he is on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi showed us today that he's the best."
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, was tearful after his first goal against Algeria, and it later emerged that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue. The Inter Miami attacker had not even committed to playing the tournament in North America until the last moment. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain wizard dragged his country to World Cup glory four years ago, and the lure of representing his nation once again on the biggest stage proved irresistible.
