Lionel Messi scored a record-breaking brace to lead Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J fixture on Monday, June 22, in Texas, USA. The win secured Argentina's place in the last 32 of the tournament and maintained their perfect start, following a 3-0 opening win over Algeria.
Messi reflects on victory
After the match, Messi took to Instagram to share photographs from the game and express his satisfaction with the team's progress. "Another victory in a complicated match, which serves us to take a little step further," he wrote, describing the result as a positive step forward in the tournament.
Record-breaking performance
Messi scored in the 38th minute to surpass Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading goalscorer in men's World Cup history, then added a second in stoppage time to take his tally to 18 goals, two clear of Klose. The brace also made Messi just the second player in men's FIFA World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different editions (2014, 2022, and 2026), according to Opta. Klose is the only other player to achieve this feat.
With five goals in two matches, Messi also tops the leading goalscorers list in the ongoing World Cup, having scored a hat-trick against Algeria in the opener.
Match details
Argentina endured a frustrating start when Messi missed a penalty in the sixth minute, sending his effort wide after a VAR-awarded spot kick. Austria responded with energetic pressing and troubled the defending champions for much of the first half.
Messi broke the deadlock in the 38th minute after a clever dummy from Thiago Almada allowed the ball to run through to him, and he calmly finished into the bottom corner. After the break, Austria continued to push, but Argentina managed the game well through tactical substitutions from head coach Lionel Scaloni around the 64th and 65th minutes, introducing Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Gonzalez to exploit spaces.
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.
Historic streak
The 38-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, equalling the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal, 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, confirming their progression to the last 32. (ANI)
