Argentina goals: Messi (38, 90+5)
Lionel Messi further cemented his legacy as one of football's all-time greats by scoring a brilliant brace against Austria to become the .
The Argentina legend now has 18 goals at the global showpiece - following his hat-trick in the opener against Algeria - to eclipse Miroslav Klose's 16 strikes.
Messi opened the scoring with a brilliant goal, stroking into the bottom corner after Thiago Almada’s dummy allowed Facundo Medina’s ball to reach him in the area. He then found the net deep into injury time to seal a thrilling victory.
Messi's history-making opener in Dallas Stadium had been delayed by his early penalty miss and decisive blocks by David Alaba for a spirited Austria side. However, his dynamic double not only took Messi top of this tournament’s Golden Boot standings but sent Lionel Scaloni’s defending champions into the Round of 32 from Group J.
To cap off Argentina’s day, the drama took place on the 40th anniversary of . The closest Ralf Rangnick’s men came to denting the Argentinian celebrations was a free-kick by Marcel Sabitzer, on his 100th international appearance, while Nico Gonzalez came close to finding the net for Argentina.
However, the European team struggled to break down the defending champions, and Messi, as he has done in seven of the last nine Albiceleste World Cup games, made the difference once again.
Everything was bigger in Texas, thanks to Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi joins France's Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil's Jairzinho (1970) as the only three players to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.
"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." Lionel Messi, Argentina
"We wanted to be tough and play our game. In the end, we lacked clear chances. The goal that made it 2-0 at the end hurts a bit in terms of our goal difference. Now we need to recover and win against Algeria." Michael Gregoritsch, Austria
"He is the a class above. I don't have the words. It is a great feeling that he is Argentinian. We have to cherish him. We deserved the win today." Lisandro Martinez, Argentina "There isn't much to do say – we can all see that he [Messi] is the best in the world. I am helping the team as much as I can. We have started with our foot on the accelerator and we have to carry on like this." Julian Alvarez, Argentina
Sources: FIFA Official
