Lionel Messi turned football today into a record book entry, scoring twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria on 23 June. The result sent Argentina away with three points, and it left Messi alone at the top of the tournament scoring chart.
His first goal lifted him to 17 goals, then the second pushed him to 18 and past Miroslav Klose. That moved the benchmark for every scorer still in the tournament, with Messi now the one every chase has to catch.
Lionel Messi and Miroslav Klose
The record change came inside a match that never slipped away from Argentina once Messi started scoring. Austria were beaten 2-0, and the finish belonged to one player, not a late scramble or a set-piece swing.
Messi’s double matters because it was not a one-goal edge built on caution. He scored both goals himself, and the second one was the one that put him beyond Klose for the tournament record.
Argentina on matchday 13
The day sat inside World Cup Predictions for matchday 13, where multiple matches were being tracked at once. Argentina’s win stood out because it produced the cleanest statistical change of the day: a new record scorer and a finished result in the same match.
Joao, the guest subscriber from Portugal, was part of that daily mix and backed Portugal and Sporting CP. Stanley initially stayed away from picking against Messi, but the later note on Stanley suggests he may have treated the underdog role too literally and now has ground to make up.
Messi's 18-goal mark
The source does not explain how Messi’s 18 goals compare numerically with Klose’s previous mark beyond the fact that he moved past him. What is clear is simpler: Argentina won 2-0, Messi scored twice, and the tournament now has a new scoring leader.
