ARLINGTON, Texas — Lionel Messi set a World Cup record with 17 and 18 goals as defending champion Argentina advanced to the knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday.
Messi had a golden opportunity to break the record in the ninth minute but shot wide to the right for the penalty. Almost 30 minutes later, Messi caught Alexander Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada had missed Facuno Medina’s pass straight onto Messi’s left foot.
Messi scored again in added time, two goals ahead of Germany striker Miroslav Klose. The Argentina captain also overtook Klose for the most World Cup wins of all time, while Messi now has 18 individual wins on world football’s biggest stage.
A win for Argentina keeps them in Group J and guarantees a spot in the World Cup knockout stages. They will complete group play on Saturday against Jordan.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this review.