Lionel Messi turned in an imperious performance against Austria, scoring a brace of goals that saw him snare all 3 points for Argentina. The goals had great historical significance too, as they saw him pip Miroslav Klose’s all-time goal tally, with Messi now anointed as the all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cups.
If the first goal was a thing of beauty, with Messi sweeping home with a poised finish that shows you don’t have to shoot with power, the second was a thing of pure brute will. As the Austrian’s pushed for a late equaliser, Argentina found themselves on the counterattack, with Messi as an outlet on the right.
While present-day Messi lacks the explosive turn of pace his younger avatar had, he still had enough to run at the Austrian back line before delivering a perfectly weighted cross-field pass to Julian Alvarez, whose shot was blocked. In the ensuing scramble, Messi worked his way into the box and created space for a shot, which was blocked. But to be denied, he persisted, and netted a second, to snag all 3 points for Argentina and net his fifth goal in this World Cup thus far.
He could have had a hat-trick in this game, after lining up to take a penalty early on after a pair of Austrian defenders had fouled Lautaro Martinez. But the diminutive maestro put his penalty wide, in what was an early reprieve for the Austrians. He would not be as forgiving later in the game, and it is fair to say that a few days shy of his 39th birthday, Messi was the difference between the two sides, on paper and on the field.
Elsewhere, France swept past Iraq, powered by a brace by Kylian Mbappe, and Norway edged out Senegal 3-2, thanks to a double from Erling Haaland. Portugal take on Uzbekistan late today, with many looking to Cristiano Ronaldo to set the stage alight after CR7 drew a blank in his previous game.
