Messi puts on a show, leads Argentina to convincing World Cup win over Austria
Dallas-Fort Worth has seen some of the biggest moments in the World Cup so far and that didn’t change Monday in Argentina’s group stage battle with Austria.
Arlington’s AT&T Stadium was taken over by Argentinian fans clad in white and light blue, eager to watch Lionel Messi chase history while a small, but passionate group of fans for Austria tried to cheer their squad on for a massive upset.
Argentina prevailed 2-0 and clinched its spot in the Group of 32 while Austria still has work to do. Here’s how the match unfolded:
Messi’s historic moment
Messi entered Argentina’s second World Cup chasing history as he was just one goal away from being the all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Messi had multiple chances early to take the record including in the opening eight minutes when Argentina received a penalty kick after a VAR review.
The legendary striker stunned the crowd by missing wide right as Austria avoided falling into an early hole. It was a rare sight to see to one of the greatest players ever to miss a penalty like that, but Messi would have another chance later in the 32nd minute when he had a shot right in front of the goal that was denied by Austria’s Alexander Schlager.
Maybe the weight of chasing the record was impacting the elite striker? That was a question permeating through the large Argentinian crowd until Messi finally came through in the 39th minute. After a beautiful cross from Facundo Medina got Messi the ball in the box, Messi shot a rocket past Schlager to secure the World Cup record.
Messi has already scored four times this World Cup bringing his all-time number to 17.
Messi delivers the dagger
Despite thoroughly controlling most of the match, the result was still in doubt late in the second half as Argentina squandered a few opportunities to increase its lead. Playing in extra time, Austria nearly tied the game with a header that just missed the net in extra time.
Sensing the potential danger of allowing a late goal, Messi came through when it mattered most. In the fifth minute of extra time Messi got deep into the box and his first shot was initially turned away by an Austrian defender. But Messi gathered the rebound and was somehow able to fit a tight shot through the legs of a defender for his second goal of the match.
The accuracy and touch on the shot is something few players in the world would be capable of pulling off. After winning the World Cup in 2022, Messi has Argentina primed for a repeat with five goals in the tournament.
Austria’s attack arrives too late
Austria played on its heels in the first half as Messi and company routinely controlled possession and orchestrated runs deep into Austrian territory. Austria failed to record a shot on target in the first half, but things began to change in the second with Austria desperately chasing an equalizer.
A lifeless attack suddenly began to find direction as Austria was the much more aggressive side and that added energy led to more creativity and chances on offense. Austria’s best chances came on a corner kick in the 55th minute that challenged goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who was able to show off his length by bringing in the save.
Despite the renewed vigor on the attack, that was Austria’s lone shot on target as Argentina blocked numerous shots and Austria failed to show the proper touch on its another potential scoring chances. Austria will need to be much cleaner in its final group stage match against Algeria.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 2:31 PM.
