DALLAS: Lionel Messi produced a memorable response to an early penalty miss by scoring twice and rewriting World Cup history as defending champions Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 to secure a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
The Argentine captain endured a frustrating start when he missed a ninth-minute penalty, sending a tame effort wide after Lautaro Martínez had been brought down inside the box. The miss marked Messi’s third failed penalty in World Cup history and briefly denied him a chance to break the tournament’s all-time scoring record.
However, the 39-year-old forward soon silenced any doubts with a masterclass in finishing. In the 38th minute, Messi received a clever pass in a move involving Facundo Medina and Thiago Almada before unleashing a trademark left-footed strike from outside the box. The shot flew beyond Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, giving Argentina the lead and taking Messi past German legend Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals.
Austria, coached by Ralf Rangnick, attempted to respond through captain David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer, but Argentina’s disciplined defence and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez stood firm. While Austria relied largely on counter-attacks, Argentina controlled possession and created the better opportunities throughout the contest.
Messi sealed both the victory and another historic milestone deep into stoppage time. Argentina launched a swift counter-attack after winning possession in midfield, with Messi combining brilliantly with Julián Álvarez. Schlager initially saved Álvarez’s effort, but Messi reacted quickest to the rebound. After seeing his first follow-up blocked, he calmly guided the ball through a crowd of defenders and into the net for his second goal of the night and his 18th World Cup goal.
The victory sends Argentina into the Round of 32 with two wins from two matches, five goals scored and none conceded. Remarkably, all five goals have come from Messi, who opened the tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria before adding this decisive brace against Austria.
With another record broken and Argentina advancing comfortably, Messi once again demonstrated why he remains football’s greatest match-winner on the biggest stage.
