Messi reflects on missed penalty and World Cup record after sealing Argentina's place in last 32

Lionel Messi has spoken of his delight at Argentina's place in the last 32 of World Cup 2026 after surpassing Miroslav Klose's all-time scoring record with a brace in Monday's 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas Stadium in Arlington.

The 38-year-old — who turns 39 on Wednesday — struck twice to reach 18 World Cup goals in total, moving two clear of the German record he had equalled by completing a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's tournament opener. Messi now has five goals from two Group J appearances, having scored all of the Albiceleste's goals at this World Cup, and also becomes the first player to feature in six different editions of the men's World Cup.

His evening was not without a difficult moment, however. Messi struck a penalty wide of the right-hand post in the first half after Alexander Schlager dived the correct way, a miss that briefly allowed Austria to seize the initiative before Messi ultimately put the result beyond doubt.

Messi reflects on penalty miss and record-breaking night

Speaking in the mixed zone after the final whistle, Messi acknowledged his spot kick error but was quick to focus on the significance of the result for Argentina's campaign.

Lionel Messi takes the honours as your @MichelobUltra Superior Player of the Match. ?

#FIFAWorldCup #SuperiorPOTM pic.twitter.com/Bv5jp7jNR6
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 22, 2026

'I am very happy because of this victory,' Messi said. 'This was a very important and tough victory. We worked very hard on it. And that reassures us for what is coming next. This is a World Cup. All of the matches are very intense. And all of the teams play well. And we are happy because we have six points and we are qualified.'

On the missed penalty itself, Messi was candid about the quality of his effort while emphasising the team's response.

'I enjoy playing, experiencing great emotions on the pitch,' he said. 'There was a moment when it became difficult because of the missed penalty — I hit it very poorly — but fortunately we were able to turn things around, take the lead and walk away with the three points, which was the most important thing.'

Messi reluctant to single out favourite World Cup goal

With his tally now standing at 18, Messi was asked to identify which of his record-breaking goals holds the most personal significance. The Argentina captain was in no mood for reflection, however, admitting exhaustion after another demanding evening.

'No, I cannot even remember, I am so tired,' he said. 'We are going to enjoy this moment and celebrate with my team-mates. Everything that has happened up to this point has been spectacular. The penalty I missed — I could have scored one more there, but what can you do. We keep going like this. You never know what can happen, but I am happy with our result, our performance and the work of the team.'

Messi, who has scored 12 World Cup goals since turning 35, has now scored in six consecutive World Cup fixtures dating back to 2022 and reached 121 goals in total for the Argentina national side.

Scaloni's side face Jordan in their final Group J fixture on Saturday, with qualification already secured, and Messi will have the opportunity to extend his record further before the knockout rounds begin.