Dallas, USA: Lionel Messi became the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after scoring twice to inspire Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria and secure the defending champions’ place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 38-year-old struck in each half of the Group J encounter in Dallas to take his World Cup tally to 18 goals, surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16 goals.
The victory also ensured Argentina’s progression to the Round of 32 with a game to spare as Lionel Scaloni’s side maintained their impressive start to the tournament.
Messi’s historic night did not begin smoothly after he missed an early penalty that would have handed Argentina the lead.
However, the Argentine skipper quickly recovered and continued to dictate the tempo as Austria struggled to contain the world champions.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the first half when Messi found space inside the Austrian penalty area and calmly slotted home to put Argentina ahead.
The goal saw him move clear of Klose and become the outright leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
Argentina dominated possession for much of the contest and rarely looked troubled defensively, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez enjoying a relatively quiet evening.
Austria pushed forward in search of an equaliser but found Argentina’s defence difficult to break down.
Messi then completed his memorable performance deep into stoppage time when he reacted quickest inside the penalty area following a blocked effort and fired home his second goal of the night.
The brace took his World Cup total to 18 goals, extending his lead over Klose while further cementing his status among football’s greatest players.
The record-breaking Argentine now sits ahead of Klose (16), Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazário (15), and Germany’s Gerd Müller and France forward Kylian Mbappé, who are both on 14 goals.
Messi’s latest heroics also marked another remarkable milestone in an extraordinary career, with the Argentine captain continuing to produce decisive performances on football’s biggest stage.
With qualification secured and momentum building, Argentina will now turn their attention to the knockout rounds as they continue their quest to successfully defend the World Cup crown.
Austria, meanwhile, will need a positive result in their final group match to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the next stage of the tournament.
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