Lionel Messi became the all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup as Argentina beat Austria 2-0 in Dallas, confirming his side’s place in the knockouts.
After an unfathomable missed penalty early on, the player widely regarded as the greatest of all time latched onto a Thiago Almada cutback to make tournament history with a first time finish after half-an-hour.
The 38-year-old then sealed the match deep in injury time in front of a fiercely pro-Argentina 70,649 crowd at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, after a scramble in the box, as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.
Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals when hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria in the holders’ opening game. He has now added 2 more goals extending his goal lead as the highest goal scorer in World Cup history.
Messi said in an interview he was “enjoying the moment” and seeing how far his side can go. “I’m really happy about the win, especially as it’s such a crucial victory, hard-fought and well-earned, but one that gives us peace of mind for what lies ahead,” he said.
“This is the World Cup; it was a very evenly matched, very intense match, and we’re happy to have picked up six points and to have already qualified.” he added.
