The inevitable Messi-ah broke the World Cup record and sent Argentina to the knockouts
The easiest way to break the World Cup record was from the penalty spot for Lionel Messi. Instead, he ended up doing it the hard way.
After his hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opener, Messi reached Dallas level with Miroslav Klos on 16 World Cup goals and they needed one more to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. When Argentina won an early penalty against Austria, the crowd sensed that moment had arrived. The script looked perfect. Messi would come on, score a goal and move into the history books.
Austria had other ideas.
ARGENTINA vs. AUSTRIA, FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
The penalty was saved, the stadium was briefly stunned and what many expected to be a straightforward night for the world champions suddenly became something much more interesting. Austria grew into a contest, Argentina grew increasingly frustrated and the record remained where it was.
It never stays that way for long when Messi is involved.
Before the final whistle, tlThe Argentina captain scored twice in the 2-0 win to move to 18 World Cup goals, became only the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches and helped the defending champions secure their place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare.
The numbers were remarkable, but they didn’t fully capture the atmosphere of the evening. It wasn’t a repeat of the game in Algeria where Messi seemed capable of scoring every time he touched the ball. Austria made Argentina work for every opening, defending aggressively and spending long spells disrupting the rhythm that carried Lionel Scaloni’s side through the opener.
The challenge seemed to make Messi the focal point of the story. Every attack went through him, every promising move caught the eyes of the packed Dallas crowd and every Austrian clearance was followed by another wave of Argentine pressure. The breakthrough finally came before halftime, and once it did, the rest of the evening felt like it was going in a familiar direction.
MESSI GETS THE RECORD, THEN ADDS ANOTHER
Austria’s plan was clear from the opening whistle. Rangnick’s side defended in numbers, quickly closing down spaces and trying to get Messi the ball with as little space as possible.
They did well for much of the first half.
Argentina enjoyed possession but lacked the sharpness that defined their performance against Algeria. Marcel Sabitzer was influential in midfield, Konrad Laimer covered huge ground and Austria looked more and more comfortable as the game progressed.
That was why the breakthrough was so important.
Messi had already seen a penalty saved and watched several promising attacks break down. Just before the break, however, he found out that Austria tried to prevent the opening for almost the entire half. He collected the ball on the edge of the box, moved into space and produced a finish that sent the ball into the corner and the stadium celebrated.
The goal carried meaning beyond the score. It was Messi’s 17th goal at the World Cup, moving past Klose to become the top scorer in the history of the tournament. It also put him alongside Justo Fontaine and Jairzinho as only the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.
For most players, this would be enough history for one evening.
Messi is not done.
Austria stayed in the game for much of the second half and continued to look for an equaliser, but Argentina gradually tightened the game. Then, deep into the break, Messi delivered a final reminder of why he remains the defining figure of this World Cup.
He won possession on the right side, broke into the box and released Julian Alvarez. The move looked destined for failure when Alvarez failed to finish properly, but Messi continued his run. While the defenders paused, he was the first to react, collecting the loose ball and sweeping it into the net.
The roar that followed was different from the one that greeted the record goal. This carried a sense of recognition. The record has already been broken. Messi just enjoyed this.
Goal number 18. Goal number five of the tournament. Another piece of history pushed a little further away from all the others.
ARGENTINA READY FOR KNOCKOUTS
Naturally, the result will also be remembered for Messi’s latest record, but Argentina will still take satisfaction from the way they handled a tough opponent.
Austria were organised, competitive and significantly tougher than Algeria in the opening game. There were periods when the game became scrappy, moments when Argentina struggled to find their usual fluency and stages when the Austrians threatened to drag the contest to an uncomfortable finale.
Yet the world champions rarely looked shaken.
Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez controlled long stretches in midfield, while Cristian Romero put in another impressive performance before being forced off with a knee problem. Nicolas Otamendi slotted in comfortably after replacing him and Emiliano Martinez dealt confidently with the limited work that came his way.
Argentina’s patience stood out the most. There was no panic after a missed penalty and no despair as Austria grew into the game. Scaloni’s side trusted their structure, trusted their quality and waited for the right moments to arise.
This is often a hallmark of teams built for tournament football.
Argentina have six points from two World Cup games, progress to the knockout stages and a captain who already has five goals to his name. More importantly, they begin to show other sides of themselves. They dazzled against Algeria. They had to dig a little deeper against Austria.
The end result was the same.
Argentina will now face Jordan in their final Group J game on June 27 with qualification already secured. Scaloni may choose to rotate and protect key players before the knockout rounds begin. Messi, meanwhile, heads into this game alone at the top of the World Cup scoring charts with 18 goals and shows little sign that he is ready to stop adding to his tally.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
23 Jun 2026 0:54 IST