Messi equalled Miroslav Klose's record in Argentina's opening match thanks to a hat-trick. He then scored a brace to lead his side to a 2-0 win over Austria to break the record, and now has 18 tournament goals.

It was also a victory that ensured Argentina will be playing in the round of 32, booking its place with one group match to spare.

He could have even had more, but prior to his double, he missed a ninth-minute penalty, meaning he did not walk away with the match ball for a second consecutive game.

The Argentina captain has both taken (seven) and missed (three) the most penalties in World Cup history (excluding shootouts), while he has now failed to score six of his 31 penalties taken for the national team.

However, he is now just the third player to score in six successive World Cup appearances, after Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jairzinho in 1970.

"I am enjoying this moment and seeing how far we can go together," he said. "I had the penalty, but maybe I wouldn't have scored the others [if that had gone in].

"To be honest, 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.

"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."

Asked which of his World Cup goals was his favourite, he added: "I don't know. To be honest, I can't remember right now. I'm tired, I'm running low on energy, and I'm finding it hard to think.

"Anyway, I'm just going to enjoy this moment, and I'm looking forward to celebrating with my team-mates."

Lionel Scaloni was also full of praise for his captain, heaping praise on how Messi reacted to the early penalty miss.

"It's logical that it's a blow not converting a penalty but knowing that at the moment of switching on … when Leo switches on, everyone does," he said.

"And I think that's a strength also of the team. Even when the team were suffering without having the ball, he was working and won a ball in the goal – you could see his commitment."

As for Austria, it remains second in Group J, and it still has work to do in its final group game against Algeria if it wants to qualify for the knockouts.

It has lost 10 of its last 17 matches at major tournaments across the World Cup and the Euros .

Despite that, it took the game to Argentina, with its 56 final-third entries more than its opponent managed, and it had six shots, though only one of those was on target.

"We could have achieved more, but overall, our performance was exactly as we'd planned – bold and courageous," Rangnick said.

"I would have liked to see a bit more courage in one or two situations, and perhaps a shot or two from distance, which would have been possible, especially in the first half.

"The way the 2-0 came about, with that counter-attack happening, was very frustrating. But overall, it was a good performance from us."