Messi's record helps Argentina defeat Austria and advance to playoffs
Argentina's national team secured their second consecutive victory at the 2026 World Cup, defeating Austria 2:0 in the second round of Group J.
The match took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, USA. Lionel Messi was the main hero of the match. Already in the 9th minute, the Argentine captain missed a penalty awarded for a foul on Lautaro Martinez, but then managed to make up for it.
In the 39th minute, Messi opened the scoring, and in stoppage time of the second half he scored the second goal, completing a brace and setting the final score at 2:0.
This goal became the Argentine's 18th at World Cups. Thus, he surpassed Miroslav Klose's achievement, who had 16 goals, and became the top scorer in the history of the World Championships.
Recall that in the first round, Argentina defeated Algeria 3:0, and all three goals were also scored by Messi. With five goals, he is the top scorer of the current tournament.
After two rounds, the Argentines have six points, lead Group J, and have secured advancement to the playoffs ahead of schedule. Austria with three points is in second place.
In the last round of the group stage, Argentina will play against Jordan, and Austria will meet Algeria.
