Lionel Messi became the highest scorer in World Cup history as his double gave holders Argentina a 2-0 victory over Austria in Dallas.

The scoring record was broken when Messi netted with a sumptuous finish late in the first half, recovering superbly after he had earlier missed a penalty.

And he made sure of the win with another goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Argentina are now through to the knockout stage and on the brink of sealing first place in Group J, a status that will be confirmed with one match to spare if Jordan fail to defeat Algeria.

Should Argentina finish top, they will take on the runners-up of Group H in Miami on July 3, which – as things stand – means they would avoid a clash with fellow contenders Spain in the last 32. 

Austria remain second in the group after Monday's defeat and their fate will be decided in a crunch MD3 clash against Algeria.

Messi did not have to wait long for an opportunity to make history.

From the first meaningful attack of the match, Lautaro Martinez turned sharply and claimed for a penalty after going down under pressure from Austria duo Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch.

Having initially been unmoved, referee Amin Omar opted to award a spot-kick after being called to the monitor by VAR. Messi, however, dragged a casual ninth-minute penalty wide of Alexander Schlager’s left post, prompting huge celebrations from the Austria goalkeeper.

As the holders kept up the pressure, a combination of Schlager and captain David Alaba had to react sharply to deny Messi from close range after a slick Argentina move involving Martinez, and the Inter Miami forward also had another goal-bound effort blocked.

But Messi was not to be denied, as the crowd erupted in the 38th minute.

Messi and Thiago Almada were initially involved in the build-up before Facundo Medina crossed from the left. A timely dummy from Atletico Madrid star Almada then allowed in-form Messi to produce a classic first-time finish with his left foot, finding the bottom corner from just inside the penalty area.

Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez was finally forced into action in the second half as he parried away a free-kick from Marcel Sabitzer, who became the fourth Austria player to earn 100 caps, while Michael Gregoritsch was off target with a headed chance.

A victory for Argentina rarely looked in doubt, though, and the match increasingly lacked goalmouth action as it entered the closing stages.

But Messi would have the final word to ensure Lionel Scaloni's side got over the line, firing in with a low finish at the second attempt after being found by Enzo Fernandez, a goalmouth scramble which was sparked by Schlager saving from substitute Julian Alvarez.

Messi makes history as Argentina dominate Group J

After netting his 11th Argentina hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Algeria and striking twice more in this game, Messi now leads the 2026 Golden Boot race with five goals.

Overall, Messi has 18 goals in 28 World Cup games, putting him two clear of Miroslav Klose in the all-time tournament goalscoring charts.

Among active players, the closest to him in the standings is Kylian Mbappe (14), who is set to play for France against Iraq later on Monday, with their ongoing battle for striking supremacy likely to remain an intriguing talking point throughout the remainder of the World Cup.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi also became only the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive games, joining France’s Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil’s Jairzinho in 1970.

And this was the first time he was able to score for Argentina in a competitive match when he had also missed a penalty.

Following his penalty miss, Messi has now taken (seven) and missed (three) the most spot-kicks in tournament history.

But Messi made sure the story would not be about his miss from 12 yards, producing a spectacular performance and attempting seven shots, more than double the tally managed by anyone else on the pitch.

While Messi is dominating the headlines, Scaloni’s men look incredibly tight at the other end of the pitch too. They prevented Algeria from getting a single shot on target in MD1, and Austria managed just one, which was a speculative set-piece attempt from Sabitzer.

Argentina have a formidable look about them, and since losing their group opener to Saudi Arabia in 2022, they have remained unbeaten in eight World Cup games, with six wins and two draws.