38-year-old football sensation, Lionel Messi, became the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, scoring twice during Argentina’s 2-0 Group J win over Austria to top the charts with 18 goals.
The Argentine talisman, who turns 39 later this week, had earlier missed a golden opportunity when he sent a penalty wide after Lautaro Martinez was fouled.
However, Messi crowned a flowing Argentina move in Dallas as he arrived unmarked in the penalty area to score from Facundo Medina’s low cross. The strike took him past Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16) as the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history.
Emi Martinez pushed Marcel Sabitzer’s set-piece to safety, having seen Cristian Romero give away a needless free kick on the edge of the penalty area, as Austria sought the equaliser early in the second half.
Michael Gregoritsch headed his later looping effort high over the bar for Ralf Rangnick’s side, who rarely managed to muster the quality in the final third to trouble their opponents. The second goal did eventually arrive through Messi mere moments before the final whistle.
Julian Alvarez’s initial attempt was saved by Schlager but the rebound was worked to Messi who, after seeing his first shot blocked, pounced to drive in a low strike from six yards out that confirmed the points.
His second ensured he moved beyond Marta’s 17 goals in the women’s tournament, which had stood as the overall record.
The goal sparked celebrations among a sea of Argentina shirts in Dallas, with chants of Messi’s name echoing around the stadium as, four decades after Diego Maradona’s iconic exploits, Argentina’s latest number 10 continued to build his own World Cup legacy.
The victory secured Argentina’s place in the knockout stage with a game to spare in Group J, following their opening 3-0 win over Algeria, as Lionel Scaloni’s side maintained a perfect start to their title defence.
The Argentina captain took his World Cup tally to 18 goals when he netted twice. He moved level with Brazilian great Marta, whose 17 goals in the women’s tournament had stood as the overall record, before moving clear and setting a new benchmark for combined men’s and women’s World Cup scoring.
Latest World Cup results
France 3-0 Iraq
Argentina 2-0 Austria.
