2026 World Cup, Argentina vs. Austria: Leo Messi’s incredible mistake leaves everyone speechless

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.

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