Argentina claimed a stellar 2-0 win over Austria in their Group J clash at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, June 22 at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Once again Lionel Messi was the star of the game, as he scored a spectacular brace after missing a penalty in the eighth minute.
Messi breaks another record in FIFA World Cup 2026
Despite missing the penalty, Messi managed to score all two goals for Argentina in a cagy game against Austria. In the 38th minute the Argentine icon buried a low finish off a cross by. However, things got a little cagy as the Austrian side managed to put pressure on the Argentine attack, but Messi managed to break all the shackles by scoring a 95th minute winner.
With a match-winning brace against Austria, Messi managed to break Germany's Miroslav Klose feat of scoring the most number of goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Now, Messi stands at the top of the list with 18 goals in 28 World Cup games.
Reacting to this, the former record holder Klose has lavished praise on the Argentine icon by labelling him the greatest player of all time in the history of the game. At the end, Klose congratulated the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner for breaking his record at the biggest stage.
"I've always said Messi is no slouch. For me, Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time! Congratulations, champion," said Klose.
Messi's red-hot form
Lionel Messi has been going through red-hot form at the ongoing marquee tournament, as he has scored all five goals for Argentina in this campaign. In the first game, against Algeria Messi scored a hat-trick, which happened to be his first in the World Cup.
In yesterday's game, Messi played for a full 90 minutes, which is a big sign of his fitness levels. But Lionel Scaloni needs to figure out more options, as he would like Messi to stay fine for the later stages of the tournament.
Next challenge for Argentina
After a strong 2-0 win over Austria, Argentina will lock horns against Jordan in their upcoming Group J clash at the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, June 28 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas.