Lionel Messi has written himself further into football history at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, scoring his 17th World Cup goal to become the all-time leading scorer in men’s tournament history, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record. Argentina lead Austria 1-0 at half-time in their Group J clash on 22 June, with a place in the knockout stage within touching distance.
The goal, arriving in the 38th minute, was a fitting one for the occasion. Facundo Medina played a crisp pull-back from the left, Thiago Almada let it run through his legs with a sublime dummy, and Messi swept home first time to leave Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager wrong-footed. The finish was composed, the build-up breathtaking.
What made the moment all the more remarkable was what had preceded it. In the ninth minute, VAR overturned the on-field decision to award Argentina a penalty after Lautaro Martinez was felled in the box. Messi stepped up with the chance to break the record from the spot, only to send the ball wide to the right in what appeared to be an uncharacteristically nervous effort. It was his 33rd career penalty miss and his third at World Cups, the most by any player in the tournament’s history.
Yet Messi refused to let the miss derail him. He went close twice more before the record-breaking goal arrived, once being denied by Schlager and once having a shot blocked brilliantly by David Alaba on the line.
Argentina have largely controlled the half, playing with incisive combinations through the middle and the wide areas. Enzo Fernandez, Almada and Messi have linked well, though Austria have grown into the match as the half progressed and caused problems on the counter-press, with Marcel Sabitzer orchestrating their best moments.
With Messi now on 17 World Cup goals and Argentina leading, the second half promises to be a fascinating encounter.
