Argentina advance, Messi makes more World Cup records

Lionel Messi rewrote World Cup history with a brace against Austria on Monday night as Argentina secured a 2-0 win and booked their place in the Round of 32. In the process, Messi also became the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer. 

Here are some key highlights during Argentina versus Austria match:

# Lionel Messi became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after opening the scoring against Austria, surpassing his own previous tally of 16 goals, which he had shared with Germany’s Miroslav Klose. He finished the match with a brace to take his World Cup total to 18 goals.

# Messi’s 18th World Cup goal also moved him clear of Marta of Brazil, the leading scorer in Women’s World Cup history with 17 goals.

# Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, equalling the record jointly held by France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho. His streak began in the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup, when he scored against Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia and France on Argentina’s way to the title.

# Messi became the first player to miss penalties in three different FIFA World Cup editions (2018, 2022 and 2026), surpassing the previous record he shared with Asamoah Gyan, who missed penalties in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. Messi has now both taken (seven) and missed (three) more penalties than any other player in World Cup history.

# Messi also became the first player to miss a penalty at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

# The Argentina captain collected his 13th World Cup Man of the Match award against Austria, extending his record. Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the list with seven.

# Argentina have not conceded a goal in a World Cup group-stage match since their shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup. They have now kept four consecutive group-stage clean sheets, including the 2-0 victory over Austria.

# Argentina remained unbeaten against Austria with their 2-0 win in Dallas. This was the first competitive meeting between the two nations and their first encounter at a major international tournament. Their previous two meetings were friendlies in Austria — a 5-1 win inspired by Diego Maradona in 1980 and a 1-1 draw in 1990.

# With this victory, Argentina confirmed their place in the Round of 32. If Jordan can’t beat Algeria in the Group J’s other match later today, the Albiceleste will move to the next round as group champions.