Argentina 2–0 Austria: Lionel Messi becomes World Cup's all-time top scorer
Lionel Messi struck twice to send defending champions Argentina past Austria and into the knockout rounds as Group J winners, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's World Cup history in the process. He could have made his mark earlier but dragged a ninth-minute penalty wide after a slow run-up, one of several openings spurned before the breakthrough.
Messi finally delivered in the 38th minute, sweeping home a first-time finish from a Facundo Medina cutback that Thiago Almada let run through his legs, taking him past Miroslav Klose with his 17th World Cup goal. Ralf Rangnick's Austria stayed compact and failed to register a shot on target in the first half, with David Alaba twice denying Messi before the opener. In stoppage time Messi added his 18th, tucking away a rebound after Julian Alvarez's effort was stopped, to seal the win and Argentina's place in the last 16.
Key moments
- •Lionel Messi scored both goals to become the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history, surpassing Miroslav Klose.
- •Messi missed a penalty in the 9th minute, dragging his shot wide.
- •The opening goal came on 38 minutes from a Facundo Medina cutback finished first-time by Messi.
- •Messi added his second deep in stoppage time after a rebound from a Julian Alvarez shot.
- •The win confirmed Argentina as Group J winners and sent them through to the knockout stage.
Timeline
Match facts
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- 70,649 attendance
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- Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.