Defending champions down Austria 2-0 in Dallas to top Group J with a game to spare
By Norman Mwale
Lionel Messi broke the all-time World Cup scoring record and sent Argentina into the knockout stages with a 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas Stadium yesterday, the defending champions brushing aside a spirited European challenge to top Group J with a game still to play.
Messi, 38 and appearing at his sixth World Cup — itself an unprecedented feat in the history of the game — scored in the 38th minute and again deep into stoppage time to move to 18 World Cup goals, two clear of Germany’s Miroslav Klose whose record of 16 had stood since 2014. The brace took his tally to five goals in two Group J appearances, following a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 opening victory over Algeria six days ago.
It was a night of history and tension in equal measure before a crowd of 70,649 at Dallas Stadium. Argentina were awarded an early penalty after VAR ruled that Lautaro Martinez had been fouled inside the area, but Messi, who rarely misses from the spot, drove his effort straight at Alexander Schlager. For a moment, the stadium held its breath. The miss briefly threatened to stall an occasion laden with expectation, but the captain would not be denied.
His record-breaking first goal arrived on 38 minutes when Facundo Medina’s low cross from the left found Messi arriving late into the box. He finished with a trademark low drive into the near corner, sending the blue-and-white-clad sections of the stadium into delirium. The goal surpassed Klose’s mark and drew an immediate acknowledgement from Messi, who raised his eyes to the sky before being swamped by team-mates.
Austria, who had beaten Jordan in their opener and entered the game on three points, were far from passive opponents. Ralf Rangnick’s high-pressing 4-2-3-1 system caused Argentina discomfort in the opening exchanges, with Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer disrupting the rhythm of Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the park. Kevin Danso produced a superb last-ditch block to deny Nicolas Gonzalez when a second Argentine goal looked certain, and Austria created isolated moments of threat on the counter. Michael Gregoritsch, leading the Austrian line, was kept in check by Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero, who were largely composed under pressure before Romero limped off late on, raising concerns over his fitness ahead of the Jordan fixture.
Messi settled the contest and secured his place in history in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Julian Alvarez drove forward on a counter-attack and his effort was beaten away by Schlager, but the rebound fell to Messi who stabbed home at the second attempt to make it 2-0 and put the final score beyond question.
“Beyond anything, I am so happy for the win,” Messi said after the final whistle. “It was huge, tough and difficult. All matches in this World Cup are very even, very intense. I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it.” Lisandro Martinez was equally effusive about his captain. “He is a class above. I do not have the words. It is a great feeling that he is Argentinian. We have to cherish him.” Julian Alvarez added: “There is not much to say — we can all see that he is the best in the world. We have started with our foot on the accelerator and we have to carry on like this.”
Austria’s Michael Gregoritsch acknowledged the damage done by the late second goal. “Now we need to recover and win against Algeria,” he said. Austria remain in contention for progression as one of the eight best third-placed teams should they fail to beat Algeria on the final matchday, but Rangnick will know the margin for error has narrowed.
Argentina, by contrast, can now rotate their squad freely against Jordan on 27 June, with their knockout place secured and the weight of history lifted — or rather, rewritten — by the man who continues to define this tournament.
