Lionel Messi Shatters World Cup Records with Two Goals Against Austria

Messi's Historic Performance at Dallas Stadium

Texas [US], June 23: Lionel Messi solidified his legacy as one of football's all-time greats during a match at Dallas Stadium, where he scored two goals to help Argentina secure a 2-0 win over a determined Austria team in their Group J encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 22 (local time).

With this remarkable performance, Messi not only led his team to victory but also made history by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose just ahead of his 39th birthday on June 24. He netted his first goal in the 38th minute, breaking Klose's record of 16 goals, and added another in stoppage time, bringing his total World Cup goals to 18, two more than Klose.

Additionally, Messi has become only the second player in men's FIFA World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different tournaments (2014, 2022, and 2026), a feat previously achieved only by Klose, according to Opta.

These two goals also placed Messi at the top of the scoring leaderboard for the current World Cup, with five goals in just two matches, following his hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening game.

In the match itself, Messi faced a challenging start, missing a penalty in the sixth minute after a VAR review awarded the spot kick. Austria responded with an aggressive pressing strategy, putting pressure on the defending champions throughout the first half.

However, Messi broke the stalemate in the 38th minute. A clever dummy from Thiago Almada allowed the ball to reach the veteran forward, who skillfully placed it into the bottom corner, giving Argentina the lead.

Austria continued to press after halftime, but Argentina effectively managed the game with strategic substitutions from head coach Lionel Scaloni around the 64th and 65th minutes, bringing on Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Gonzalez to exploit the spaces as the match progressed.

As Austria pushed for an equalizer, Argentina struck again deep into stoppage time. Messi orchestrated a rapid counter-attack and finished decisively in the 95th minute, securing a 2-0 victory and completing his brace.

The 38-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, matching the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal, a record shared by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.

This victory elevates Argentina to the top of Group J with six points from two matches, ensuring their progression to the last 32.