Argentina vs Austria

Entering the match tied with Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, Messi broke the record in the 38th minute — and then added a second deep in stoppage time to become the outright leader with 18, surpassing even Brazil's Marta (17) for the overall World Cup record across men's and women's football.

It was not a straightforward path to history for the 38-year-old. Argentina were awarded a penalty in the 7th minute after VAR confirmed a foul on Lautaro Martínez, but Messi sent his spot-kick wide of the right post in the 9th minute. It was the first penalty he had missed at a World Cup.

7' — VAR awards Argentina a penalty. Referee determined that Lautaro Martínez was fouled in the box.

9' — Messi misses the penalty. The Argentine captain stepped up but pushed his effort wide right, keeping the game scoreless.

38' — GOAL. Messi 1-0. Facundo Medina delivered a pass from the left flank to Messi at the top of the box, and the forward took one touch before firing a left-footed one-timer past Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. The stadium erupted as Messi became the men's record holder.

40' — Stefan Posch (Austria) booked for arguing.

Half-time: Argentina 1-0 Austria.

Second half — Austria pushed for an equaliser. Marko Arnautović and Patrick Wimmer entered in a triple substitution just past the hour, and Wimmer nearly levelled in the 93rd minute with a header that drifted just wide of Emiliano Martínez's far post.

76' — Facundo Medina and Konrad Laimer both booked after a brief scuffle.

90+2' — GOAL. Messi 2-0. The record-breaker turned match-winner again. Messi triggered a counter-attack, found Julián Álvarez whose shot was blocked, retrieved the ball inside the box, and squeezed it through a defender's legs to seal the win.

The 9th-minute penalty miss could have unravelled Argentina. Instead, it sharpened them. Messi's response — a composed finish from open play 29 minutes later — demonstrated the resilience that has defined his late-career tournament runs. Once ahead, Argentina's defensive structure, anchored by the introduction of Nicolás Otamendi for the booked Cristian Romero (57'), ensured Austria rarely threatened.

• Lionel Messi (Argentina) — Two goals, one missed penalty, one historic record. His 17th World Cup goal broke Klose's men's mark; his 18th surpassed Marta's all-time record. Five goals in two group matches this tournament. Player of the match.
• Facundo Medina (Argentina) — The assist on Messi's opener, solid defensive work before being substituted in the 82nd minute, though he picked up a yellow card for his part in a melee.
• Alexander Schlager (Austria) — Could do little about either goal but kept Austria in the match with several stops, including a second-half Messi effort from distance.
• Emiliano Martínez (Argentina) — A relatively quiet evening but made a crucial save from an Austria free kick in the 55th minute and commanded his box throughout.

Argentina's 2-0 scoreline undersells their territorial dominance. The provider payload shows a single first-half goal from 0.92 expected goals at the break, but the decisive blow came late. Austria's best chance — Wimmer's 93rd-minute header — was their only real second-half look. Argentina's xG gap grew significantly after Messi's late strike, reflecting a match where possession and control were Argentine, but the clinical edge arrived only from one man.

Argentina advance to the World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare in Group J. The defending champions sit top of the group on six points from two matches. Their final group fixture is against Jordan at AT&T Stadium on Saturday 27 June. Austria, who lost their opener, now face a must-win final group match against Algeria to keep their Round of 32 hopes alive via one of the eight third-place berths.

The result extends Messi's unbeaten record in Texas (now four wins, two draws across all competitions).

Argentina were not at their fluid best — they missed a penalty, lacked rhythm for long stretches, and needed a stoppage-time second to kill the game. But Messi single-handedly delivered history and three points. With a place in the knockout rounds secured, manager Lionel Scaloni can rotate for the Jordan match. Austria will rue their inability to capitalise on Argentina's early vulnerability, but their tournament is not over yet.