Lionel Messi once again proved why he is one of the greatest footballers ever to grace the FIFA World Cup, scoring a brace against Austria at the back of a hat-trick in the first game to send Argentina into the Round of 32 with a game to spare.
Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute shortly after missing a penalty. In the second half, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was not done yet, as he grabbed his second goal of the match at the death with a fine finish after weaving his way through the defenders to secure a 2-0 victory for the defending champions.
With that brace, Messi has now scored five goals in the 2026 edition and is the outright top scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals in 28 matches, surpassing the long-held record of Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals in 24 games.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé also scored a brace in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq to take his tally to four goals in the 2026 campaign.
Mbappé, who won the tournament in 2018, is now the joint second-highest scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals in 16 games, level with Klose and just two behind Messi.
Ousmane Dembélé scored France’s other goal to seal the victory and book their place in the Round of 32.
READ ALSO: Cape Verde remains unbeaten, Egypt wins first-ever World Cup match
