Is Lionel Messi the greatest of all time? His latest landmark achievement — breaking the record for most goals scored at a World Cup with his double against Austria — certainly strengthens his case.Messi, inevitably, was the centre of attention in Dallas, his goals earning Argentina a 2-0 win that booked the reigning champions’ place in the knockout stages.The Inter Miami forward’s 17th and 18th World Cup goals (and fifth in two matches) took him past Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in football’s biggest tournament.It came after he missed a penalty earlier in the first half, a wasted opportunity that only delayed the inevitable.How did Messi achieve his latest piece of World Cup history?The Argentina fans knew what was at stake. Most jerseys in the stadium bore Messi’s name, and plenty of people brought their children to see him play.The atmosphere around the stadium before the game was different from that of the first two raucous, energetic matches here last week. This crowd, of mostly Argentine fans, had a quieter, anticipatory joy.Messi had some prime chances early on to give the supporters what they had come to see. Gifted a penalty inside the first 10 minutes, he put the ball wide. Why? More on that below.Maybe this was not his day? But then isn’t this what you want? You want the doubt. You want a show.Argentina never force-fed Messi; instead, as usual, chances around the box found him. His fluid movement repeatedly placed him in prime positions, even as Austria did well to box him in as he strolled around the pitch. For a while, Austra reacted quickly when he escaped and blocked two of his close-range chances.But as half-time approached, the goal felt more inevitable. Argentina’s plays were too pretty, the outbursts too swift for Messi not to capitalize. In the 38th minute, Medina found Messi trailing, unmarked at the top of the box, and Messi found the back of the net. He had read the play brilliantly, but you can’t leave him open like that.Fans wept in the stands as Messi and his team-mates huddled in celebration. Now the songs began in earnest.As far as “I was there” moments go, this fitted the bill very nicely.Then, in stoppage time at the end of the match, Messi scrambled in his second to extend his record tally and enhance his claim for a first World Cup Golden Boot.Patrick IversenWhat is the story behind Messi's goals record?Messi’s hat-trick in Argentina's opening game at this World Cup, against Algeria, took him level on the all-time World Cup scoring list alongside Klose. But his double against Austria put him out on his own.Klose had held the record since 2014, when he surpassed the Brazilian Ronaldo with his 16th goal.With that in mind, this is how the record for being the top overall scorer at the World Cup has progressed over time, starting with the end of the inaugural 1930 edition and (apart from Messi's current total) taking the record-holder's goals at the completion of the relevant tournament (rather than mid-competition when they went past the previous mark).Messi’s 18 goals have come at five World Cups: 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 (he failed to find the net in 2010). Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (also five) is the only other man to find the net at so many editions of the competition, though he has only scored eight times on this stage.The Argentinian has scored 14 times in the competition with his stronger left foot and four times with his weaker right. Meanwhile, an impressive five of the 17 have come from outside the box.And finally, here are the 12 teams he has netted against at the World Cup; with Austria the latest to join the list.Will JeanesBut... does Messi have an issue with World Cup penalties?When Messi stepped up to take Argentina’s ninth-minute penalty, he was presented with a golden opportunity to surpass Klose.However, the 38-year-old’s poor effort brushed the post and went wide, leaving him tied with the German on 16 goals.What’s more, this was not the first time Messi has missed from the spot in the game’s biggest competition. It wasn’t even the second time.He also failed from 12 yards against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022, with his three penalty misses now the most in the history of the World Cup (he was tied with former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan on two before this game).The penalties against Iceland and Poland were both saved, meaning this was the first time Messi failed to hit the target from the spot in the competition."This is another example of goalkeepers being onto goalkeeper-dependent penalty takers, similar to Harry Kane’s first (missed) attempt against Croatia," says The Athletic's penalty expert Geir Jordet."Messi slows down his run-up and clearly shows that he’ll observe and wait for the goalkeeper, so Alexander Schlager waits — he stands completely still when Messi needs to decide, so Messi is forced to make a decision without knowing where the goalkeeper is headed. He goes for his right. But because he is watching the goalkeeper, his eyes are off the ball and he will necessarily lose some precision."My guess is that when Messi, mid-kick, sees Schlager go in the same direction his shot is intended to go — and it’s too late to change it — he attempts to make sure it is placed as far over to the post as possible, and it goes wide."It should be pointed out that Messi has scored four penalties at the World Cup — with only England’s Kane having netted more (five).Nevertheless, a 57 per cent conversion rate is well down on his overall career figure of 78.Messi, of course, more than made up for his early miss later on, but it is an oddity that one of the game's greatest players has struggled from 12 yards in this competition.Will JeanesDid this game demonstrate how Argentina can be stopped?There was an inevitability to Messi’s record-breaking goal, but there was also an inevitability to the sequence that led to the finish itself.As highlighted in The Athletic’s Group J tactical guide, Argentina have had repeated success when attacking in wide areas — particularly with their advancing full-backs — before cutting the ball back for a team-mate to run onto before finishing first time.An example of this can be seen in their 6-0 win against Puerto Rico in October.The pattern of play was not dissimilar on Monday, as left-back Facundo Medina overlapped to advance into the final third, before his cross was cut back to Messi. The finish was sublime — and the dummy from team-mate Thiago Almada was equally delicious — with fans forgiven for thinking the goal was pure South American flair at its finest.However, the world champions hold their title for a reason, with Lionel Scaloni’s side combining creativity with carefully choreographed attacking routines to unpick their opponents. Sure, they have a generational magician who is able to finish off such sequences, but getting Messi into those positions to score is as much about design as it is about good fortune.Future Argentina opponents, take note. If you are looking to nullify a small percentage of the attacking threat from Messi and friends, keep an eye out for those cutbacks.Mark CareyCould Austria have done more to challenge Argentina?Austria’s game plan worked to an extent. Take few risks with the ball, but then press Argentina in their first phase of possession and look to capitalise on the chances that fall in those moments of broken play.It was relatively effective. They did manage to turn the ball over deep in the Argentina half, but they were unable to then use it productively. After 68 minutes, they had managed just a single shot on target and that was from a Marcel Sabitzer free kick, rather than open play. It told a story.Their football was too slow in the attacking third and lacked precision or variety. Too often, a crossing opportunity was wasted or a pass into dangerous space was not released at the right moment. Their set-piece delivery, the Sabitzer shot aside, was also not of sufficient quality and the absence of subtlety or craft from their attacking play prevented them from ever really making their opponents look uncomfortable.Neither Lisandro Martinez nor his centre-back partner Cristian Romero (prior to his substitution) was required to do anything particularly urgent and, tellingly, Emiliano Martinez barely had to make a save.Seb Stafford-BloorWhat does this result mean for the last 32?The win takes Argentina to six points and puts them in control of Group J, guaranteeing them a place in the knockout round. If Algeria beat Jordan later on, that will confirm the Argentines as group winners, sending them to Miami for a last-32 tie on Friday, July 3 against the second-placed team from Group H.That’s the group containing Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. With the Spanish currently in first place and favourites to beat the Uruguayans, that will most likely be against the winner of Saudi Arabia versus Cape Verde.Defeat leaves Austria still in second place, which they will retain regardless of the outcome of the Jordan-Algeria game. Were the Austrians to win their final match against Algeria, they would then be assured of second place and a trip to Los Angeles on Thursday, July 2 to face the winner of Spain’s group.Seb Stafford-Bloor