2026 World Cup, Argentina vs. Austria: From an Incredible Mistake to an Extraordinary Record: Leo Messi Leaves Everyone Speechless Once Again

The match between Argentina and Austria, part of the second day of Group J play at the 2026 World Cup, began with a mistake by Leo Messi from the penalty spot that was as rare as it was spectacular. The Albiceleste captain, who found himself one-on-one with Austrian goalkeeper Schlager in the 9th minute, struck the ball with his left foot at too sharp an angle, sending it wide of the post and out of play.

The penalty kick had been awarded, following a VAR review, for a foul inside the box by two defenders on Lautaro Martinez: Egyptian referee Amin Omar awarded the penalty, but Messi failed to convert, and the two teams remained tied at 0-0.

Messi, however, took just under half an hour to get his revenge, collecting the ball in the box from Medina in the 38th minute and, this time, beating the opposing goalkeeper to make it 1-0 for the Albiceleste. La Pulga’s goal was historic: with 17 goals scored in World Cup knockout stages, Leo Messi has now surpassed Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

Argentina and Austria head into today’s match on the back of their respective wins on the first day: the Albiceleste had beaten Algeria 3-0 thanks to a hat trick by their No. 10, while the Austrians got the better of Jordan, spurred on by goals from Schmid and Arnautovic (the latter on a penalty kick) and aided by an own goal by Al-Arab.