ARLINGTON : Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in
World Cup history as the captain struck twice to give Argentina a 2-0 win over
Austria on Monday and send the champions into the last 32.
The player widely regarded as the greatest of all time
pounced late in the first half in Texas with a trademark left-footed finish
after neat build-up play.
The predatory goal added to his hat-trick in Argentina’s
opening match to make it 17 in total at the World Cup, reports BSS.
The 38-year-old then sealed the match deep in injury time
after a scramble in the box, as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep
the ball out.
It should have been even better for Messi, who missed a
penalty early on, stunning a fiercely pro-Argentina 70,649 crowd at the
air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.
With both sides knowing a win would put them into the
knockout rounds with a game to spare, Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the
box, sandwiched by two Austrian players.
Referee Amin Mohamed gave a penalty after a VAR
intervention, and a wall of noise went up as Messi stepped forward on nine
minutes.
He also saw his spot-kick saved by Wojciech Szczesny in a
2-0 win over Poland at the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina went on to be
champions, and missed at the 2018 tournament.
In the 19th minute Messi had a clear sniff at
goal, only for Austria captain David Alaba to steal the ball off his toes at
the last moment as he danced through on goal.
Alaba denied Messi again just after the half-hour mark,
blocking his goalbound shot with goalkeeper Alexander Schlager stranded.
Ralf Rangnick’s Austria, who beat debutants Jordan 3-1 in
their opener, were content to sit back. They did not have a shot on target in
the first half.
And then the came the big moment, Messi sweeping in on 38
minutes after being set up by Facundo Medina, with Thiago Almada cleverly
letting the ball run through his legs to leave Argentina’s talisman all on his
own and the goal gaping.
The Argentina fans, who greatly outnumbered their Austrian
counterparts, rose to acclaim their hero.
Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time mark of 16
World Cup goals when hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria in the
holders’ opening game.
Messi was tearful after his first goal, and it later
emerged that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue.
Inter Miami attacker Messi had not even committed to
playing the tournament in North America until the last moment.
But nobody realistically expected him to be absent from
spearheading Argentina’s title defence.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain wizard
dragged his country to World Cup glory four years ago, and the lure of
representing his nation once again on the biggest stage proved irresistible.
Lionel Scaloni’s side failed to build on their lead, and
the second half drifted, neither side creating much.
If anything, Austria threatened slightly more, but
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was only once seriously troubled.
And then up popped Messi to have the last word at the death.
