ARGENTINA 2
AUSTRIA 0
ARGENTINA (4-4-2): E.Martínez 6.5, Molina 6.5, Romero 6.5 (12’st Otamendi 6), L.Martínez 6.5 (37’st Tagliafico sv), Medina 7; De Paul 6.5 (37’st Paredes sv), Mac Allister 6.5, Fernández 7, Almada 6.5 (19’st Álvarez 6); Messi 8, Lautaro 6.5 (19’st Nico González 6.5). On the bench: Musso, Rulli, Senesi, Montiel, Barco, Lo Celso, Palacios, Simeone, Paz, López. Coach: Scaloni 7.
AUSTRIA (4-2-3-1): A. Schlager 6.5; Posch 5 (22’st Prass 6), Danso 6, Alaba 6.5 (22’st Friedl 6), Laimer 5.5; Seiwald 5.5, X.Schlager 5.5; Schmid 6 (33’st Wimmer sv), Wanner 6 (22’st Arnautovic 6), Sabitzer 6; Gregoritsch 6 (40’st Chukwuemeka sv). On the bench: Affengruber, Grillitsch, Wiegele, Pentz, Kalajdzic, Lienhart, Mwene, Ljubicic, Wimmer, Svoboda, Schöpf. Coach: Rangnick 5.5
REFEREE: Omar (Egypt) 6
GOALS: 38’pt and 50’st Messi.
NOTES: clear sky, pitch in good condition. In the 9th minute Messi kicks out a penalty. Booked: Posch, Medina, Laimer, Paredes. Corners 1-3. Recovery time: 7′ first half, 5′ +2′ second half.
Record-breaking Messi drags Argentina
A brace from Messi gave Argentina a 2-0 victory over Austria. It is precisely the captain of the Albiceleste, now alone at the top of the ranking of the best scorers of all time at the World Cup, who hands his team through to the next round with a match to spare. The match takes a first turn after just four minutes. Lautaro Martínez is brought down in the area by Posch and the referee, after reviewing the VAR, awards the penalty. Messi appears from 11 meters but shoots badly and puts it wide. In the 19th minute, the same number 10, well served in the area by Lautaro, tries a serpentine which ends with a rebound on Alaba then blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 32nd minute it was Alaba who saved his team again with a save just over the line on a sure shot from the usual Messi.
The goal is in the air and arrives in the 38th minute. Medina receives the ball on the left and puts a ball in tow which, after an intelligent pass from Almada, is hit perfectly by Messi, with Schlager being pierced with a surgical left-footed shot. The former Barcelona champion thus scored his 17th World Cup goal, surpassing Klose’s previous record exactly 40 years after Maradona’s unforgettable brace against England at the Mexico 1986 world championship.
Argentina closes the score in the second half
The first half ends at 1-0. Rangnick’s men showed up in Emiliano Martínez’s area 10 minutes into the second half, when the Aston Villa goalkeeper dived to block Sabitzer’s free kick. Ten minutes later, Schlager deflected Messi’s left-footed shot from the edge of the area into a corner. In the 23rd minute, the champion from Rosario once again hits a corner in the center of the area which the newly introduced Nico González arrives in the right time and goes just wide.
The Austrians try to push, but without creating real dangers. The final 2-0 came in full injury time when Messi, at the end of a back-and-forth in the area, hit Schlager again with his left foot, scoring his fifth personal goal in two outings in the tournament. The result will no longer change. Argentina thus reaches 6 points, celebrating the passage of the round with a match to spare. Austria however remains at 3 points. Closing the second day of group J will be the match between Algeria and Jordan.