Lionel Messi gave the Argentine men’s football national team the lead 1-0 against Austria, scoring the 1-0 in the 39th minute.

It has been a troublesome match for the Argentine captain, who had missed a penalty in the 9th minute, and seemed to struggle to get back into the game.

As the first half neared the end, Argentina put together a great counterattack, with forward Thiago Almada dribbling through the ground to the left. He set up Facundo Medina, who put a back pass for Messi to slot it in with a first-touch low shot to the goalkeeper’s right.

With this goal, Messi has become the all-time leading goalscorer in the World Cup’s history, overtaking Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s 16 strikes by one.

The result so far sees Argentina is qualified for the World Cup’s round of 32.

Argentina and Austria are facing off in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. After beating Algeria 3-0 in its debut with a Messi hat trick, the Albiceleste needs only one more win to book its spot in the knockout stages. 

In front, Argentina has the Austrian team coached by former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, who beat Jordan 2-0 in its debut, and is also placed in a prime spot to secure its spot.

Argentina went out with a very similar lineup to the one that beat Algeria, with the only change being Nahuel Molina in place of Gonzalo Montiel at right back.

Left back Nicolás Tagliafico is back in contention after recovering from a tear in his left soleus muscle. However, he’s expected to be rested to ensure a full recovery.

Scaloni: ‘There’s no easy matches’

Argentine head coach Lionel Scaloni spoke about the Austrian team ahead of the match, admitting that his team will be facing a difficult challenge.

“Austria is a tough opponent,” he said. “They have very good players, they press well, they play a direct style, they had a great qualifying campaign, and we’ve seen that they’re a team to be reckoned with.”

Scaloni said he felt that, with both teams having won their opening games, it “might make for an even better show” and a “difficult and hard-fought” game for Argentina.

“What we’re seeing in the World Cup is that there are no easy games,” he said. “It’s even more pronounced in this World Cup because there are more matches.”

According to Scaloni, group-stage games have “always been difficult for everyone,” and the conditions could be helping the so-called weaker teams, because they “have time to recover and to prepare things they might not have had before.”

Cover image: Seleccion Argentina Twitter