Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 in their second Group J match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas on June 22, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Lionel Messi scored both goals after missing an early penalty, securing his place as the all-time World Cup leading scorer with 18 goals [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 4].

Messi’s first goal in the match was his 17th World Cup goal, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16 men’s World Cup goals [1, 2, 3, 5, 4]. His second goal, scored deep in stoppage time, brought his tally to 18, making him the highest scorer across both men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments—surpassing Brazilian star Marta [1, 2].

Early in the match, Messi missed a penalty awarded after Lautaro Martinez was fouled but recovered to score in the 38th minute and again in added time [1, 2, 3, 4]. His scoring streak now stretches across six consecutive World Cup matches [1].

Argentina’s victory sealed their qualification to the knockout stage with two wins from two matches in Group J [1, 3]. The win was celebrated by Buenos Aires fans on June 23, marking 40 years since Diego Maradona’s famous 'Hand of God' goal and underscoring Messi's iconic status in Argentine football [6].

Messi, who turns 39 on June 24, played through emotional moments during the tournament as his father was reportedly ill and under medical care [5, 6]. His Argentina teammate Alexis Mac Allister called Messi "the most important" player in the group [5]. Messi himself downplayed the milestone, saying, "In the end, it’s just a statistic and nothing more" [5].

Elsewhere at the tournament, Turkey lost 2-0 to Australia in their opening Group D match, prompting coach Vincenzo Montella to criticize harsh public reactions as demoralizing for his young players [7, 8, 9]. Montella welcomed the players’ families into camp to ease pressure and said he might consider tactical changes but not solely based on individual performance [7, 8, 9]. Turkey faces Paraguay next, a match critical to their chances after Paraguay’s 1-4 loss to the United States [7, 8, 9].

Saudi Arabia’s coach Georgios Donis referenced their shocking 2022 World Cup win over Argentina while warning against overrespecting Spain ahead of their upcoming match [10].

Controversial claims about offensive chants against Messi by Algerian fans before the Algeria-Argentina match were debunked as unrelated and manipulated content [11].