Lionel Messi turned a missed penalty into a historic night, scoring twice as Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 on Monday to secure a place in the World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare.
The Argentina captain etched his name into football history by becoming the highest goalscorer in World Cup history. His second goal of the match took his tally to 17 World Cup goals, surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16.
From Penalty Miss to Record Breaker
Argentina dominated from the opening whistle, but Messi nearly endured a frustrating evening after blasting a penalty wide in the eighth minute.
Austria briefly sensed an opportunity, but Messi quickly responded. In the 38th minute, Thiago Almada delivered a cutback into the box and the Inter Miami star met it first time, firing home from close range to put Argentina ahead.
Austria increased the pressure after the break, introducing fresh attackers in search of an equaliser. However, Lionel Scaloni’s well-organised defence stood firm.
Then came the defining moment.
Deep into stoppage time, Messi latched onto a swift counterattack, raced clear of the Austrian defence and calmly beat goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to seal a 2-0 victory and break the World Cup scoring record.
Chasing History, Rewriting It
Messi had equalled Klose’s record of 16 goals last week after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria. Against Austria, he moved clear at the top and now stands alone as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
The six-time World Cup participant, who made his tournament debut in 2006 and is featuring again at the 2026 World Cup, has now scored 122 goals in 201 appearances for Argentina.
The New World Cup Goalscoring Podium
Lionel Messi – 17 goals
Miroslav Klose – 16 goals
Ronaldo Nazário – 15 goals
Gerd Müller – 14 goals
Kylian Mbappé – 13 goals
Title Defence Gathering Momentum
After opening their campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria and following it up with victory against Austria, Argentina have collected six points from six and booked their place in the knockout rounds.
Messi missed a penalty, but still walked away with history. At 38, the Argentina captain continues to deliver when it matters most, leading the world champions’ title defence and rewriting the World Cup record books once again.
