Record-Breaking Messi Brace Sends Argentina Into Knockout Stage

Darwin, 23 June : Lionel Messi shrugged off an early penalty miss to score twice, become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer and send Argentina into the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.

The Argentina captain endured a frustrating start in Dallas, missing a penalty that would have immediately taken him past Miroslav Klose’s long-standing World Cup record of 16 goals. But the 38-year-old responded in emphatic fashion, scoring a historic brace to move onto five goals in two matches and strengthen his hold on the Golden Boot race.

Messi entered the match needing just one goal to surpass Klose and become the competition’s outright leading scorer. The opportunity arrived as early as the eighth minute after Argentina were awarded a penalty following a VAR review. Lautaro Martínez had been brought down inside the box by Austrian defenders after the referee initially waved play on.

However, Messi dragged his spot-kick wide of the right post, leaving the record on hold and stunning the Argentine supporters behind the goal.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner continued to push for the breakthrough. In the 21st minute, he burst into the penalty area but was denied after David Alaba’s intervention helped Austria clear the danger. Twelve minutes later, goalkeeper Alexander Schlager’s attempted clearance fell straight to Messi, whose shot at an empty net was heroically blocked on the goal line by Alaba.

The historic moment finally arrived in the 38th minute

Messi started the move himself down the left flank before receiving the ball near the edge of the penalty area and drilling a precise finish into the bottom-left corner. The strike not only handed Argentina the lead but also made him the outright highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with his 17th tournament goal.

The goal brought another landmark as well. Messi became only the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France’s Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil’s Jairzinho (1970). His remarkable scoring streak began during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar.

Argentina controlled much of the second half and looked increasingly likely to add to their advantage. Enzo Fernández tested the Austrian defence with a powerful effort, while Nicolás González narrowly missed the target with a header from a Messi corner.

Austria remained within touching distance until deep into stoppage time, when Argentina struck again on the counterattack. Julián Álvarez surged forward from the left and forced a save from Schlager, but the rebound fell kindly to Messi. His first effort was blocked before he reacted quickest to fire home at the second attempt and complete his brace in the fifth minute of added time.

The victory followed Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in their Group J opener, a match in which Messi scored his 61st career hat-trick. That performance also saw him become the oldest player in World Cup history to score a hat-trick, surpassing the previous mark held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

With maximum six points from two matches, the reigning world champions have secured qualification for the knockout stage with a game to spare. Argentina will now face Jordan in their final group match, while Messi’s latest record-breaking display further strengthened his legacy as one of football’s greatest-ever players.