Lionel Messi moved to the top of the World Cup’s all-time scoring chart with a superb curling effort that put Argentina ahead against Austria.
The Argentina star went into the game tied with Germany great Miroslav Klose on 16 goals, having drawn level with a hat-trick in his side’s tournament-opening win over Algeria.
The 38-year-old had an early opportunity to claim the record outright, but dragged a penalty off target after just nine minutes.
Messi did not have to wait much longer for his historic moment, finishing a slick attacking move from the reigning champions.
After Thiago Almada cleverly let Facundo Medina’s cross run through, Messi guided a left-footed strike into the net from the edge of the area.
‘It’s a brilliant goal, great move, it was just a matter of time,’ BBC co-commentator Danny Murphy said.
Lionel Messi set a new World Cup goalscoring record with his 17th goal in the competition
The Argentina captain’s curling finish from the edge of the area took him beyond Miroslav Klose
Messi’s record came under immediate pressure from France’s Kylian Mbappe
‘Lionel Messi keeps getting in those great areas with the free role he has got.
‘For him, that’s an easy finish, the only surprise was that he didn’t score earlier.
‘His football intelligence is off the charts, he just finds space and the timing is great from the best player I’ve ever seen.’
Messi also became just the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches after France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho, who did so in 1958 and 1970 respectively.
The Argentina captain extended his record to 18 goals in second half stoppage time.
Messi initially looked to provide an assist for Julian Alvarez, who saw his effort denied by Austria’s goalkeeper.
After the ball came back loose, it was fed back to Messi who rounded Austria’s goalkeeper before seeing an effort blocked by a defender.
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Messi regained posession on the rebound and slotted into the net to seal a 2-0 victory for Argentina.
The 38-year-old had set his sights on back-to-back World Cup hat-tricks with a free kick deep into stoppage time, but sent his effort wide of the target.
Messi extended his record by scoring his 18th World Cup goal in second half stoppage time
Messi latched onto a rebound after his own shot was blocked to seal Argentina’s 2-0 victory
Messi has now scored five goals in two matches to lead the race for the golden boot
Messi’s tally of 18 goals has been achieved in 28 matches at the World Cup.
The new landmark immediately came under pressure from France’s Kylian Mbappe.
The French star scored twice in their 3-0 victory over Iraq hours later, which saw him move just four goals behind Messi’s tally having scored 16 to date at the World Cup.
Messi currently leads the golden boot race at the World Cup having netted five times in two matches, with the victory having already confirmed Argentina’s place in the knock-out stages.
The Argentina talisman was embraced post-match by his team-mates, as well as Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Muller, who were conducting punditry work for German television.
BBC pundit Oliver Giroud claimed that Messi, despite being 38, was more decisive than ever for Argentina’s national team.
‘Lionel Messi has got the players around him just looking for him,’ Giroud said.
‘They play for him and that’s a huge honour for them, they have so much respect for him, it’s such a privilege for them to play with him.
‘They are ready to die on the pitch for him and give everything to get another World Cup back-to-back.
‘He is more decisive than ever.’
