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DALLAS | Xinhua | After missing a penalty early in the match, Lionel Messi scored twice as defending champion Argentina eased past Austria 2-0 on Monday to reach the World Cup knockout stage.
Messi’s goals took his World Cup tally to 18, moving him past Germany’s Miroslav Klose to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland also continued their strong form as some of football’s biggest stars lit up the second round of group-stage action and helped their teams advance.
At Dallas Stadium, Messi scored in the 38th minute after missing an earlier penalty, surpassing Klose’s World Cup scoring record. The 38-year-old added his second in the 95th minute, moving temporarily to the top of the tournament scoring chart with five goals.
In Group J’s other fixture, Algeria beat Jordan 2-1.
In Group I, Mbappe scored twice to draw level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals as France beat Iraq 3-0 to continue its pursuit of a third World Cup title.
The second half of the match was delayed by about two hours because of a thunderstorm. Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele, also scored for France.
Also in the group, Norway beat Senegal 3-2. Haaland continued to shine in his first World Cup, scoring twice after teammate Marcus Pedersen’s opener to secure three points for Norway, while Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr also scored twice.
Group-stage action continues on Tuesday, with Portugal facing Uzbekistan and Colombia taking on DR Congo in Group K. In Group L, England meets Ghana while Panama plays Croatia. ■
