Messi's two-goal performance

LIVE starting at 7 p.m.: Austria vs. Argentina

Konrad Laimer (left) and his teammates fell just short of pulling off an upset against Argentina.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

It was a close call, but in the end, Austria’s national soccer team fell to World Champions Argentina 0–2 in their second World Cup group stage match. Lionel Messi (38th, 90+5th) scored twice on Monday. In the first half, the 38-year-old superstar had missed a penalty kick.

In front of 70,649 fans, the Austrians held their own for long stretches but failed to create any real danger. The defending champions, on the other hand, were once again able to rely on their star player. Messi now has five goals in this tournament—following his hat trick against Algeria—and, with 18 World Cup goals, is the sole record-holder for World Cup goals.

Head coach Ralf Rangnick made three changes from the 3-1 win over Jordan. Kevin Danso came in for Philipp Lienhart at center back, Konrad Laimer moved back to left back in place of Phillipp Mwene, and Paul Wanner took over the playmaker role. Michael Gregoritsch played as the lone striker. Stefan Posch, who is recovering from a broken jaw, was in the starting lineup as expected.

Austria’s starting lineup against Argentina(Bild: AFP/MICHAEL STEELE)

Penalty misses the target
The “Albiceleste” got off to a strong start—Thiago Almada hit the side netting from a tight angle less than 100 seconds into the game. Shortly afterward came the first controversial moment of the match: Lautaro Martinez cut into the penalty area and was denied a shot by Posch and Xaver Schlager. Egyptian referee Amin Mohamed Omar initially let play continue, but then awarded a penalty kick after reviewing the VAR footage. Messi stepped up to take the kick; ÖFB goalkeeper Alexander Schlager stayed put for a long moment, and the soon-to-be 39-year-old sent the ball wide of the right corner.

Messi’s penalty kick went wide of the goal.(Bild: AFP/FRANCOIS NEL)

This brings Messi’s total to three missed penalties at World Cups—more than any other player in World Cup history. He missed against Iceland in 2018 and against Poland in 2022. The Argentine has taken a total of seven penalty kicks at World Cup tournaments, excluding penalty shootouts—also a record. “La Pulga” thus shares a fate with his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese player has also missed a penalty kick against the Austrian national team: In the 0-0 draw at the 2016 European Championship in France, he hit the post.

(Bild: Kronen Zeitung)

You can download the app from the Google Play Store here.
You can download the app from the App Store here.

After Messi’s penalty, Austria looked more composed and managed to string together longer stretches of possession, though these did not lead to any clear-cut chances. Things only got a little dicey in the 23rd minute, when a shot by Marcel Sabitzer—in his 100th international match—was blocked inside the box. Argentina remained the more dangerous team—especially when Messi marched toward the goal. In the 32nd minute, David Alaba just managed to pry the ball away from the masterful playmaker’s foot, forcing goalkeeper Schlager to make a strong reflex save. Schlager wouldn’t have been able to stop Messi’s follow-up shot, but Danso cleared it off the line.

Fruitless ÖFB protests after Messi’s first goal
Six minutes later, Messi’s goal was inevitable. Facundo Medina broke away down the left flank, Almada let his cross go through, and Messi beat Schlager with a shot against his direction of movement. When Argentina won the ball, leading to this play, the ÖFB team protested in vain for a foul on Xaver Schlager.

Argentina has secured its spot in the knockout stage.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

At the start of the second half, the Austrian national team tried to apply more pressure. Sabitzer forced Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to make a save on a free kick (55th minute). The three-time world champions responded with a deflected shot by Messi that was cleared by Schlager (65'), and shortly afterward, Gregoritsch headed the ball over the crossbar (67'). On a Messi corner kick, substitute Nico Gonzalez was left unmarked but missed the target with his header (73').

In the closing minutes, the Austrians mostly pushed the reigning world champions deep into their own half, but they couldn’t find the equalizer. A header by substitute Patrick Wimmer went well wide of the goal (93'). Virtually on the counterattack, Messi sealed the final score on his second attempt following a quick transition. This marked another loss for the ÖFB after six international matches—though the performance offers hope for the rest of the tournament.