The Argentina’s national football team qualified this Monday to the round of 32 of the World Cup 2026 after defeating Austria with two goals from Lionel Messi at Dallas Stadium in United States.
The South American team defeated the European squad in a very tight match to secure six points in Group J of this international tournament.
With this favorable result, the squad directed by Lionel Scaloni mathematically guaranteed its presence in the round of 32, waiting for the match between Algeria and Jordan to confirm first place.
RELATED: [Mexican Referee Garcia to Officiate Tunisia-Netherlands Match](https://telesurenglish.net/mexican-referee-garcia-to-officiate-tunisia-netherlands-match/)
During the entire development of the game, Argentina controlled the tempo and successfully withstood the systematic attacks of the Austrian team. The final victory was sealed in the final moments of the game through a collective play that ended in a series of rebounds in the penalty area, allowing the decisive goal.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Una publicación compartida de teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
In the early minutes, striker Lautaro Martínez was fouled inside the penalty area. After a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the referee awarded a penalty. However, Lionel Messi missed the spot-kick, sending the ball wide of the post.
The deadlock was broken in the 38th minute. Defender Facundo Medina advanced on the wing and sent a cross. Midfielder Thiago Almada cleverly let the ball pass, allowing Lionel Messi to strike a signature left-footed curled shot into the bottom corner. The execution overcame Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, establishing the 1-0 lead.
Tactical Dominance Secured
In the second half, Austrian manager Ralf Rangnick attempted to gain possession to search for an equalizer. However, the European squad failed to register a single shot on target against Argentinean goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. Meanwhile, Argentinean manager Lionel Scaloni replaced defender Cristian Romero with Nicolas Otamendi after Romero suffered an injury to his right leg.
In the 95th minute (90+5) of the second half, following a series of rebounds in the box, Lionel Messi scored his second goal of the match, sealing the 2-0 victory.
The captain of the Argentina’s national team scored twice to reach 18 World Cup goals. With this feat, the Argentinean playmaker surpassed the previous record of 16 goals held by German forward Miroslav Klose since Brazil 2014.
The victory in Group J allows the reigning world champions to advance to the knockout stage, pending the result between Algeria and Jordan to secure the top spot in the group.
The current group standings show the South American squad in first place with a perfect record of two victories in two matches. Austria occupies the second position with 3 points, while the national teams of Jordan and Algeria remain at the bottom of the table without points after their first match.
With these two goals against Austria, the Argentine forward also extended an incredible personal streak to six consecutive World Cup matches scoring at least one goal. This historic run started in the knockout phases of the Qatar 2022 edition, where he scored against Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and France in the final. The scoring streak continued in the current 2026 World Cup edition, where he scored against Algeria and now against the Austrian team.
Voices From The Pitch
After the match, the most valuable player of the game analyzed the collective effort against the physical demands of the tournament. “In this World Cup all games are very even, very intense. I am enjoying this moment and wanting to celebrate with my teammates. It was a very tough, worked victory“, Lionel Messi declared.
Defender Lisandro Martínez praised the team performance and lauded the historic figure of his captain. The South American central defender expressed deep emotion for sharing the pitch with the forward, stating that his current level places him at the absolute top of global sports, far ahead of any other active player.
Finally, midfielder Leandro Paredes expressed gratitude to the medical staff after returning early from a complex muscular injury before the tournament. The midfielder highlighted the human qualities of the team leader, urging his teammates and fans to value his daily contributions both on and off the field.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.