Argentina 2-0 Austria: Messi breaks Klose record to become World Cup's all-time top scorer

Lionel Messi has go the all-time starring scorer successful World Cup past aft netting doubly to occurrence Argentina to a 2-0 triumph implicit Austria successful Group J astatine Arlington connected Monday.

The Argentina captain, who had already struck a hat-trick against Algeria connected matchday one, present stands unsocial astatine the acme of the World Cup scoring charts with 18 goals, moving 2 wide of Miroslav Klose's long-standing grounds of 16.

It was a show that epitomised everything Messi has offered crossed 2 decades astatine the highest level — composure, invention, and the quality to nutrient defining moments precisely erstwhile they are required. He had to summon each of those qualities aft a mediocre commencement that concisely threatened to undermine the occasion.

Argentina 2-0 Austria: Messi bounces backmost from aboriginal punishment miss

Lionel Scaloni's broadside were awarded a punishment successful the archetypal fractional pursuing a tally into the country by Lautaro Martinez, but Messi's spot footwear was comfortably saved by Alexander Schlager, with the shot rolling wide of the right-hand post.

Argentina are moving connected ⏭️#FIFAWorldCup

The miss allowed Austria to reassert immoderate control, pressing with strength and limiting Argentina's guardant momentum. The Wunderteam's precocious property frustrated the Albiceleste, and with Argentina's attacking play moving astir exclusively done their fig ten, the request for Messi to rediscover his composure was urgent.

He did truthful with typically understated brilliance. Picking up the shot connected the close flank, Messi played successful Thiago Almada, who precocious into the midfield 3rd and released Facundo Medina to present a debased transverse from the left. Medina's dummy successful the punishment country created the space, and Messi arrived astatine the borderline of the container to side-foot a first-time decorativeness into the bottommost country — his signature move, repeated countless times crossed a twenty-year career.

Argentina 2-0 Austria: Messi seals it successful the dying minutes

The 2nd fractional was a much subdued affair. Argentina eased disconnected the accelerator, contented to support their pb with the shot and support Austria astatine arm's magnitude done patient, controlled possession. Scaloni's broadside closed disconnected the spaces diligently, alert that the Wunderteam remained a menace connected the break.

Austria, for their part, struggled to manner wide openings, resorting to crosses and acceptable pieces successful the lack of a genuinely originative midfielder to unlock a well-organised rearguard. The pressing strength that had caused problems successful the archetypal fractional faded arsenic the crippled wore on, and the South Americans retained their composure throughout.

Messi delivered the decisive stroke successful the closing stages, latching onto a escaped shot wrong the country to decorativeness disconnected a swift Argentina counter-attack. The goal, his 2nd of the evening and his 18th successful World Cup competition, confirmed a celebrated triumph and wrote yet different section successful the astir singular idiosyncratic tourney grounds the crippled has ever seen.

Argentina, who present look good placed to beforehand from Group J, volition look Jordan successful their last radical fixture knowing that different affirmative effect should beryllium capable to unafraid apical spot.

Austria's creativity concerns laid bare successful Arlington

Despite their competitory display, Austria were yet undone by a cardinal regulation successful their squad. When pressed into deficit, Ralf Rangnick's broadside lacked the inventive midfield options to conception sustained attacking sequences, a occupation that volition interest the manager arsenic the radical signifier draws to a close.

The Wunderteam's reliance connected aerial deliveries and set-piece situations was insufficient against a defence arsenic organised arsenic Argentina's, and their inability to replicate the benignant of direct, penetrative shot that had earned them triumph against Jordan successful the opener yet proved costly.