Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina beat Austria 2-0 in Dallas, sealing advancement and moving him past Miroslav Klose on the World Cup goals list.
Lionel Messi turned Argentina’s World Cup meeting with Austria into another record night, scoring twice in a 2-0 win in Dallas that secured Argentina’s place in the round of 32 and moved him to 18 career World Cup goals.
The double lifted Messi past Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, according to a Varzesh3 roundup of international reaction. It also gave him five goals in the 2026 tournament, keeping the 38-year-old at the center of Argentina’s campaign.
The performance carried an added twist: Messi missed an early penalty before responding with the goals that decided the match. Argentine, Italian, French and Brazilian outlets cited in the roundup framed the night as both a victory and a historical marker, with L’Equipe noting that the goals took Messi beyond Klose and sent Argentina through.
The record drew immediate praise from former stars. Ronaldo Nazário said Messi’s numbers showed he had gone beyond the rest and joked about the contrast with his own playing life at the same age. “He is 38, my God,” Ronaldo said, according to the report. “At 38, I had been retired for four years and weighed 120 kilos.”
Klose, whose World Cup scoring record Messi surpassed, also offered a direct tribute. “Lionel Messi is, for me, the best footballer of all time,” Klose said. “Congratulations, champion!”
Jürgen Klopp, working as a Magenta TV analyst alongside Thomas Müller, was also described as impressed by Messi’s display. The report said Klopp greeted Messi as he passed by, as well as former Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
The reaction reflected the scale of the moment as much as the result. Argentina’s win over Austria kept its title ambitions moving, while Messi’s scoring pace added another layer to a late-career World Cup run that is now being measured against the tournament’s deepest individual records.
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