What a wild night in Dallas.
If you tuned into Argentina vs. Austria expecting a routine win, you got a historic rollercoaster instead. At nearly 39 years old, Lionel Messi just broke the all-time World Cup scoring record—but he did it in the most dramatic, human way possible.
Here is everything you need to know about a legendary night.
The Drama: Missed Penalty to History
The match started with a collective gasp from 70,000 fans. In the 9th minute, Messi stepped up for a penalty and dragged it completely wide. He now holds a bizarre double-record: the most World Cup penalties taken (7) and the most missed (3).
But greatness is about the bounce-back. In the 38th minute, Messi took a brilliant dummy pass from Thiago Almada and stroked a classic first-time, left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
With that single kick, he scored his 17th World Cup goal, officially passing Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the outright top men's scorer in World Cup history.
Breaking the Ultimate Record
Messi wasn't done. Deep into stoppage time (95th minute), after an absolute scramble in the Austrian box, he poked home a rebound for his second goal of the night.
Goal #18.
With that tap-in, he passed Brazilian legend Marta (17 goals) to claim the ultimate title: the highest goalscorer in World Cup history, men's or women's.
The Stats at a Glance
- Final Score: Argentina 2 - 0 Austria
- The Standings: 6 points. Argentina officially qualifies for the Round of 32.
- Golden Boot Race: Messi is currently the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals in just two games.
The Big Takeaway
After the match, a visibly exhausted Messi admitted he was "running low on energy." But even a tired Messi is inevitable. Austria played a brilliant, aggressive high-press, but they couldn't stop history. Argentina can now rest their stars against Jordan, and Messi can celebrate his 39th birthday this week knowing his name sits alone at the very top of football history.
What did you think of the match? Let me know in the comments!