Messi Misses Penalty, Then Breaks Klose's Record in 2-0 Win Over Austria

Lionel Messi delivered one of the most dramatic individual performances of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, missing a penalty in the 8th minute before responding with two goals to surpass Germany legend Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria in Group J at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, moves the defending champions to 2-0 in the group and into the Round of 32.

Key Takeaways

• Messi now holds the all-time World Cup goals record with 18 goals, having equaled Klose's mark of 16 with a hat-trick against Algeria in Matchday 1, then surpassed it with his 38th-minute strike against Austria — the record-breaking 17th goal — before adding his 18th later in the match.
• The 8th-minute penalty miss was the defining early market shock of the game — Messi pulled his effort wide right with Schlager diving the correct way, and became the first player in history to miss three World Cup penalties, surpassing Ghana's Asamoah Gyan (two misses) in that particular — and rather unwanted — record.
• Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho as the only players in history to achieve the feat — a streak that bettors backing his anytime scorer markets across this tournament have been collecting on at near-certainty pricing.

A Night Written in Dramatic Chapters

Few matches at this World Cup have delivered as many narrative swings in a single evening. Lautaro Martínez was hauled down inside the box by Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch inside the first five minutes, and the penalty was awarded after a VAR review. The world waited. Messi stepped up. He missed — wide right, goalkeeper going the correct way — and just like that, the record was deferred, the odds on an Argentina first-half lead lengthened instantly, and the entire arc of the evening shifted.

Austria settled after the miss and largely controlled the following 15 minutes, keeping Argentina pinned back and threatening to turn the early momentum into something more dangerous. It was exactly the kind of flat period that bettors holding live under markets would have been watching closely.

Then Messi responded the way only Messi can.

Then Messi responded the way only Messi can.

"I'm very happy with the win," ⁠Messi said. "It was ​a hugely important victory, a tough one, and one we worked hard for. It gives us calm for what's coming."

In the 38th minute, in a give-and-go with Thiago Almada, the 38-year-old finished on the first touch to make it 1-0, and in doing so, became the greatest World Cup goalscorer the men's game has ever seen. Two days before his 39th birthday. His father, Jorge, is undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness back home.

Ronaldo Watching Somewhere

It is impossible to discuss Messi's record without the shadow of the eternal debate. Cristiano Ronaldo — 41 years old, playing in his record sixth World Cup, still starting for Portugal — has watched his great rival rewrite the history books while he himself remains scoreless at this tournament. Ronaldo last scored at a World Cup against Ghana in 2022. He is now on a five-game World Cup scoring drought, his longest since 2006–2010, and Portugal fans are already turning on his teammates online out of frustration.

The contrast could not be more brutal. Messi: five goals in two games, all-time record holder. Ronaldo: zero in one game, fan base in crisis, a second goal record slipping further out of reach with every passing match. Portugal plays their second group game soon. The world will be watching.

Messi's 18th goal came later in the second half to seal the 2-0 scoreline, taking his tally at this tournament to five goals in two games. Argentina is at the top of Group J and needs only to avoid a heavy defeat against Jordan in Matchday 3 to progress.

"The truth is that the way it turned out today was spectacular," he said. "I had the penalty that could have increased the lead, but ‌I'm happy with the result and with the ​team's work."

The Betting Angle

From a market's perspective, this match was a gift and a punishment in equal measure. Pre-match anytime scorer markets had Messi priced between 1.55 and 1.70 at major books — generous value in retrospect for anyone who held their position through the early penalty miss. The 0-0 live price spike after the 8th minute offered a brief window for opportunists. By full-time, anyone who backed Messi to score two or more goals was collecting significant returns. The Austria +1.5 Asian handicap, which briefly looked workable after the penalty miss, was unwound efficiently as Messi's first goal landed.

With six consecutive World Cup scoring matches and five goals in two games, Messi enters Matchday 3 against Jordan as the most heavily backed anytime scorer on every major book. The only question now is whether he'll reach 20.