Messi sets World Cup scoring record as Argentina advance
Lionel Messi became the leading goalscorer in World Cup history on Monday, scoring twice in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria as the defending champions secured their place in the knockout rounds.
The Argentina captain arrived in Arlington level with Germany great Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals after his hat-trick against Algeria in the opening round of fixtures.
By the end of the night, he stood alone.
The 38-year-old had an early opportunity to move clear of Klose but dragged a penalty wide after eight minutes.
The miss briefly delayed what increasingly felt inevitable.
Austria frustrated Argentina for much of the first half and looked set to reach the interval on level terms before Messi finally found the breakthrough seven minutes before the break.
Facundo Medina's pass picked out the Argentina captain inside the penalty area and Messi guided a composed left-footed finish beyond Alexander Schlager to score his 17th World Cup goal and move clear of Klose at the top of the all-time standings.
Any frustration over the missed penalty had long since disappeared by the closing stages.
Deep into stoppage time, Messi reacted quickest after Schlager had blocked his initial effort, forcing the ball home at the second attempt to seal victory and take his World Cup tally to 18 goals.
The win secured Argentina's place in the last 32 and guaranteed top spot in Group J with a game to spare following Algeria's 2-1 comeback victory over Jordan later on Monday.
Messi admitted afterwards that the penalty miss had angered him.
"Today there was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty because I missed and I struck it very badly," he said.
"Luckily we were able to turn the situation around, take the lead and take three very important points."
Messi scored his first World Cup goal against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Twenty years later, and two days before his 39th birthday, he sits alone at the top of the World Cup scoring charts.
Yet the Argentina captain's focus remained on the result rather than the record.
"Beyond anything, I'm so happy for the win," he said.
"It was huge, tough and difficult. All matches in this World Cup are very even, very intense. I'm enjoying this moment and enjoying it with my teammates."
Argentina will now turn their attention to a final group meeting with Jordan before the knockout phase begins.
