World Cup 2026 analysis: Why Lionel Messi's World Cup record almost didn't happen
Lionel Messi's brace against Austria this past Tuesday saw him break the all-time World Cup scoring record.
Germany's Miroslav Klose, who previously held the record with 17 World Cup goals, has now been surpassed after Messi scored his 17th and 18th goals in the competition, making him the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
However, the record only tells part of the story. The night itself was far messier for Messi than the final scoreline suggests. Unlike Argentina's previous match against Algeria, he found far fewer opportunities and had to work much harder for his goals.
Sports News Blitz writer Phoebe Pang goes into Lionel Messi’s record-breaking night and why it was far from straightforward.
A penalty he couldn't watch back
A chance to break the record arrived early when Argentina were awarded a penalty in just the ninth minute. However, Messi produced an uncharacteristically poor effort, dragging his shot wide of the target.
"I kicked it very badly," he admitted after the match, revealing that he had been "very angry" with himself following the miss.
It was only the third penalty Messi has missed in World Cup competition since making his tournament debut in 2006, highlighting just how rare such an error is for the Argentine captain.
The miss appeared to affect his confidence for much of the first half.
Austria's midfield worked tirelessly to crowd him out and deny him space. Unlike against Algeria, Messi found very little room to operate and often chose to move the ball on quickly rather than take defenders on himself.
The record-breaking goals finally arrived
His historic first goal eventually arrived in the 38th minute.
Facundo Medina delivered a low cross into the box, and Messi was on hand to apply the finishing touch and break the record.
There was some controversy surrounding the goal, with claims that Alexis Mac Allister had fouled an Austrian player during the build-up. However, VAR found no significant issue with the challenge and the goal stood.
Messi then doubled his tally in stoppage time. After Julián Álvarez's effort was saved, the veteran forward reacted quickest to squeeze the rebound through a crowd of Austrian defenders and into the net.
The finish may not have been his cleanest, but it perfectly summed up his determination on a night when nothing came easily.
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What it reveals about Argentina
Despite the comfortable scoreline, Messi admitted afterwards that Austria made life difficult for Argentina.
He told reporters that Austria's pace and intensity made the margin of victory somewhat misleading.
For a 38-year-old player who remains responsible for much of Argentina's attacking output while constantly being closely marked, it was another remarkable performance.
More importantly, the victory could prove far more valuable to Argentina's World Cup campaign than the individual milestone itself.
While Messi's record-breaking achievement will dominate the headlines, the resilience shown by both the captain and his team may ultimately be the bigger story as Argentina continue their pursuit of World Cup glory.
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