Lionel Messi turned a missed penalty into history on Monday, scoring twice to break the all-time World Cup scoring record as Argentina beat Austria 2-0 and booked a knockout stage spot with a game to spare.
The 38-year-old captain’s second goal in stoppage time took him to 17 World Cup goals, eclipsing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s mark of 16. Fitting timing too — Messi turns 39 later this week.
—From penalty miss to record breaker—
Argentina dominated from kickoff but Messi almost wrote a different story early. He blazed a spot-kick wide in the 8th minute. Austria breathed. Martinez stayed busy at the other end, but Messi was just warming up.
The breakthrough came in the 38th minute. Almada slid in a cutback, Messi met it first time and powered it home from close range. Control restored.
Austria pushed after the break, throwing on fresh attackers to chase an equaliser. Argentina’s defence, organised by Scaloni, held firm. Then came the exclamation point.
Deep into stoppage time, Messi latched onto a counter, raced clear and fired past goalkeeper Schlager. 2-0. Record broken. Group J sealed.
—Chasing history, rewriting it—
Messi equaled Klose’s 16-goal record last week with a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 opener against Algeria. Now he stands alone at the top.
The Inter Miami star is playing his sixth World Cup — first in 2006, now 2026 in North America. He has 122 goals in 201 games for Argentina.
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—The new World Cup podium—
1. Lionel Messi – 17 goals
2. Miroslav Klose – 16 goals
3. Ronaldo Nazário – 15 goals
4. Gerd Müller – 14 goals
5. Kylian Mbappé – 13 goals
—Title defense on track—
After beating Algeria in the opener and now Austria, Scaloni’s side have 6 points from 6. They’re into the knockouts with a match to spare and their title defense looking sharp.
Messi missed, then made history. At 38, he’s still the man for the decisive moment.
