Texas [US], June 23 (HBTV): Lionel Messi became the all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup as Argentina beat Austria 2-0 in Dallas, confirming his side's place in the knockouts.
After an unfathomable missed penalty early on, Messi latched onto a Thiago Almada cutback to make tournament history with a first-time finish after half an hour.
Ralf Rangnick's men struggled for quality in the second half before a stoppage-time break saw Messi have an effort blocked before he tucked home his 18th in tournament history.
According to Guinness World Records, Messi now has 18 goals in FIFA World Cup matches, the highest by any player in the tournament's history.
Messi had equalled German great Miroslav Klose's long-standing record of 17 World Cup goals after Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria in their 2026 World Cup opener, a match in which he scored a hat-trick. With the win over Austria, Messi moved clear of Klose and now holds the record outright with 18 World Cup goals.
Messi also rewrote the record books by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's World Cup history ahead of his 39th birthday on June 24. He scored his first goal in the 38th minute to surpass Klose's mark of 16 goals and added another in stoppage time to take his tally to 18 World Cup goals, two more than Klose.
According to Opta, Messi also became only the second player in men's FIFA World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different editions of the tournament (2014, 2022 and 2026). Klose is the only other player to achieve the feat.
The two goals also moved Messi to the top of the goalscoring charts in the ongoing World Cup, with five goals in two matches. He entered the game after scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening match.
Messi endured a frustrating start after missing a penalty in the sixth minute, sending his effort wide following a VAR-awarded spot kick. Austria responded with an energetic pressing display and troubled the defending champions for much of the first half.
However, Messi broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. A clever dummy from Thiago Almada allowed the ball to run through to the veteran forward, who calmly finished into the bottom corner to give Argentina the lead.
Austria continued to push after the break, but Argentina managed the game effectively through a series of tactical substitutions by head coach Lionel Scaloni around the 64th and 65th minutes. Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Gonzalez were introduced to exploit spaces as the match opened up.
As Austria committed players forward in search of an equaliser, Argentina struck again deep into stoppage time. Messi led a swift counter-attack and finished clinically in the 95th minute to seal a 2-0 victory and complete his brace.
The 38-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches and equalled the all-time record of scoring in six straight World Cup games, a mark jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.
The win moves Argentina to the top of Group J with six points from two matches, securing their place in the last 32.
(ANI)