Messi breaks the World Cup scoring record in Argentina’s win over Austria

Argentina booked their place in the round of 32 with a 2-0 win over Austria in Dallas, and the night ended up belonging entirely to Lionel Messi. The captain missed a penalty inside the opening 10 minutes, then scored either side of the contest to leave the World Cup with a new name at the top of its all-time scoring list. His two goals took him to 18 for his World Cup career, two clear of the 16 that Germany’s Miroslav Klose had held since 2014.

A miss, then the record

The start could hardly have gone worse for Messi. Handed a penalty in the first 10 minutes, he dragged his effort wide of the right-hand post and passed up the chance to claim the record early. Argentina did not panic, and the breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute when Messi swept home a low cross from Facundo Medina after Thiago Almada had let the ball run with a clever dummy. That was his 17th World Cup goal, the one that moved him past Klose, and it also drew him level with Marta’s record of 17 as the joint leading scorer across both the men’s and women’s game. It settled a tense opening period in the holders’ favour.

Messi later suggested the miss may have done his side a favour by keeping them switched on rather than letting the game drift. Whatever the reasoning, Argentina controlled the second half and kept Austria at arm’s length, with another clean sheet to show for it.

Messi seals it in stoppage time

The second goal came deep in second-half injury time and from a familiar Argentina counter. Messi slipped Julian Alvarez through on goal, and when Alvarez’s shot was blocked the rebound fell straight back to the 38-year-old, who tucked it away to make it 2-0. The strike was his fifth goal of the tournament, took him past Marta’s record of 17 to stand alone as the leading scorer across both the men’s and women’s game, and put the result beyond Austria with the last meaningful kick of the night.

It also extended a remarkable late-career run, with Messi now having scored in six World Cup matches in a row stretching back across tournaments. For a player who has won the trophy already, the individual record was met with the kind of reception usually reserved for a knockout win.

Argentina through, Austria still waiting

The result leaves Argentina top of Group J on six points from their opening two matches, enough to guarantee a knockout place with a game in hand. The defending champions can now approach their final group fixture without the pressure of needing a result. Austria, who had opened with a win over Jordan, stay on three points and will need to regroup before their last group game to keep their own qualification hopes alive.

For all the talk of a generational handover in this Argentina side, the headline in Dallas was the same one that has followed them for nearly two decades. Messi delivered when it mattered, and the record books were rewritten around him.

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