FIFA Fan Fest erupts to watch Lionel Messi and Argentina
Lionel Messi and Argentina kicked off their first of two matches at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, and crowds came together to watch the 2022 World Cup champions at the FIFA Fan Fest at Fair Park. Argentina beat Austria 2-0 at Dallas Stadium to clinch their spot in the round of 32.
Messi could be seen on the back of many fans’ shirts, from Argentina jerseys to FC Barcelona jerseys — where Messi spent 18 years at — to his current team, Inter Miami, and even his own merch was present at the fan fest.
The entire pavilion was filled. Even with it being a noon kickoff and a hot summer day in Dallas, fans still showed up.
With many fans in attendance just to watch Messi, there was a loud roar during the ninth-minute when forward Lautaro Martínez went down in the Austria box and Argentina was rewarded a penalty after the referee checked with the virtual assistant referee.
Fans took out their phones, to have the chance of recording Messi break the World Cup scoring record, but were let down when the forward missed wide.
It wasn’t after too long when Messi finally did break the record, scoring in the 38th minute, putting his all-time World Cup tally at 17 goals.
The fan fest was sent into a craze, with fans recording the moment and quickly chanting “Messi” in unison. Messi added one more to his record later in the game during stoppage time to seal the victory for Argentina.
Messi and Argentina will return to Dallas Stadium on Saturday for their final group stage match against Jordan at 9:00 p.m. The fan fest will continue to be free and open for the public throughout the World Cup and during Argentina’s matches.
