Messi fires Argentina into World Cup knockout stage

KATHMANDU: Captain Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina secured a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.

Playing at the Dallas Stadium in the United States, Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute to give Argentina a deserved lead before sealing the win with his second goal deep into second-half stoppage time.

The victory also saw Messi break a historic World Cup record.

With his brace against Austria, the Argentine captain surpassed the 16-goal mark previously held by Miroslav Klose to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.

Messi has now scored 18 World Cup goals, having also netted a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening victory over Algeria.

With back-to-back wins, Argentina sit atop Group J with six points and have officially advanced to the knockout rounds. Austria are second with three points from two matches.

Jordan and Algeria, the other teams in the group, are yet to register a point, having played one match each.