Lionel Messi Breaks World Cup Record With 18th Goal As Argentina Beat Austria 2-0

Lionel Messi became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer on Monday, reaching 18 goals with a 2-0 victory for defending champions Argentina over Austria in their Group J match.

“Lionel Messi has broken the record for the highest number of goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup after scoring his team’s opening goal in their Group J match against Austria, taking his tally to 17 goals in six football tournaments”

Al Jazeera

Messi entered the match on 16 World Cup goals and broke the record with his 38th-minute strike after Argentina’s attack in Dallas.

Al Jazeera

The ESPN report said Messi “broke the tie with Germany legend Miroslav Klose,” while the MLSsoccer report said he reached a tournament record 18 goals with a brace.

Argentina’s win secured a Round of 32 berth, and Messi’s record-setting day came as he scored in second-half stoppage time after missing a penalty earlier in the match.

Messi missed a penalty early against Austria, and ESPN described how he “went wide to the right on a penalty kick” before scoring twice later in the 2-0 win.

After the match, Messi said, “There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it,” as the record was sealed at the knockout-clinching stage.

BBC

The BBC framed the moment as part of a run in which Messi fired home his second goal to wrap up the 2-0 victory and send the holders into the last 32, while also noting he had scored in six consecutive World Cup matches.

In the same BBC coverage, the Inter Miami forward’s record run was linked to the feat of scoring in six straight World Cup games, equalling the record set by France’s Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil’s Jairzinho (1970).

With Argentina qualifying for the Round of 32 after the Austria win, the ESPN report said the result “secures defending champion Argentina's place in the knockouts,” and it placed Messi’s team as Group J leaders with six points.

“Lionel Messibecame the highest goal scorer in World Cup history Monday, moving up to 18 with a superb double inArgentina's Group J match againstAustriaand breaking a tie withGermanylegend Miroslav Klose”

ESPN

The BBC added that Messi is enjoying a scintillating start as Argentina defend their title, with a hat-trick in the opening game and two goals plus the record broken in the second match.

ESPN also said Messi “has scored all five of Argentina's goals in the tournament,” and it described his next group-stage match as the one that will close the group stage against Jordan in Texas.

As the record-setting campaign continues, the Guardian reported that Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, is 68 and had been undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness, while the family said in a statement last week that it was not providing specifics.