SportFootballArgentina football teamARGENTINA 2-0 AUSTRIA: Lionel Messi was once again at the forefront for Argentina after securing the all-time World Cup goalscoring record in victory in Dallas20:02, 22 Jun 2026Updated 20:04, 22 Jun 2026Lionel Messi became the World Cup's all-time top scorer and helped Argentina into the knockouts with victory against Austria.‌Messi had the perfect chance to become the leading scorer in World Cup history as Argentina were handed an early penalty but fired his effort wide.‌The Argentine icon continued to be the main threat for his nation and eventually got his moment in the 38th minute as he swept home. He then doubled his evening's work with his 18th goal at World Cups as Argentina took control of Group J.‌Lionel Scaloni's side have already booked their place in the round of 32, and will be confirmed as group winners should Jordan fail to beat Algeria. Argentina will round off their group stage campaign against Jordan, while Austria take on Algeria in their final group game, with work still to do on reaching the next round.With the attention all on Messi heading into the game, the Inter Miami superstar was backed by partizan Argentinian crowd. But he spurned his first golden chance to write his name into history once more.Lautaro Martinez was played through and was taken down by a combination of Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch. The referee initially waved play on but a VAR review saw a penalty awarded. Messi was predictably the man to step forwards but fired his low effort wide of the post.‌The 38-year-old then had another fantastic chance midway through the first-half but hesitated when through on goal, allowing David Alaba to get a well-timed tackle in.Messi should really have secured his record-breaking goal as a ricochet bounced to him in the box with the goal gaping but Kevin Danso produced an outstanding block.‌His moment did eventually come towards the end of the first-half after finishing off a brilliant Argentina move. Facundo Medina produced a perfect low-ball which was dummied by Rodrigo De Paul. That left Messi unchallenged to sweep home a lethal, left-footed finish low into the bottom corner.Nico Gonzalez should have made the closing stages more comfortable for Argentina late on after latching onto a Messi corner but headed wide. Both Gonzalez and Enzo Fernandes had late opportunities but were left frustrated.Messi predictably was the man to round things off as Argentina broke to lethal effect. The former Barcelona star at first picked out Julian Alvarez but the ball eventually found its way to Messi, who scored at the second attempt.Article continues belowAnd that goal saw the 2022 World Cup winners move into the round of 32, albeit Messi and co will be keen to go considerably further and potentially add another trophy to his glittering collection.Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Lionel MessiWorld Cup 2026Argentina football team