FIFA WC: Record-breaking Messi leads Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria
What's the story
Lionel Messi has broken Miroslav Klose's long-standing record to become the all-time leading goalscorer in men's World Cup history. The Argentine superstar achieved this milestone during the FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Austria at the Dallas Stadiumon Monday. Messi scored twice in the game, taking his career total to 18 World Cup goals, two more than Germany's Klose. The 38-year-old stalwart was the only scorer in the game as Argentina recorded a 2-0 triumph.
Match highlights
Messi opens the scoring for Argentina
The match started with some unexpected drama as Argentina was awarded a penalty in the ninth minute after Lautaro Martinez was fouled. Messi stepped up but uncharacteristically went wide to the right, leaving the stadium in stunned silence. However, he quickly redeemed himself by scoring in the 38th minute from a slick pass inside the box.
Game strategy
Messi's magic seals the show
The second half saw a lot of pressure from Austria as they searched for an equalizer. However, Argentina's manager Lionel Scaloni made tactical changes by bringing on Leandro Paredes and Nicolas Tagliafico to reinforce the midfield. The strategy paid off when Argentina launched a deadly counter-attack deep into stoppage time. Messi received the ball, glided past his marker, and calmly slotted home his second of the night to seal a historic win for La Albiceleste.
Tournament progress
Argentina advance to Round of 32
With this hard-fought victory, La Albiceleste are officially through to the Round of 32. The match was a classic, gritty tournament performance from the reigning world champions but ultimately, pure Messi magic won it for Argentina yet again. Despite missing an early penalty and almost completing his hat-trick with a sensational long-range free-kick that skimmed just past the post at full-time, Messi's two goals were enough to secure another win for his team.
Messi
18 goals in the competition for Messi
With a sensational hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's 2026 edition opener, Messi equaled Klose's record of 16 goals at the World Cup. Playing his 28th game in the competition, the former has now raced to 18 goals. Brazil's Ronaldo is now third in terms of World Cup goals, having made 15 strikes. With 14 goals, France's Kylian Mbappé trails Messi among active players.
Landmarks
Messi also attains these milestones
As per Opta, Messi became the third player to score in six successive FIFA World Cup appearances after Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jairzinho in 1970. Messi is now the player with the most penalty attempts (7) as well as missed penalties (3) in World Cup history (excluding shootouts). The talisman also became the second player after Klose to score 4+ goals at three different men's World Cup tournaments.
Stats
Here are the match stats
From 12 attempts, Argentina recorded three shots on target. Austria made just six attempts and managed a solitary strike on target. The winning team had a 54% ball possession in the game. They completed 538 passes with a sensational 90% accuracy. Austria's passes count was 440. Their accuracy was 87%.