Messi Scores Twice, Sets New All-Time World Cup Goal Record

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Lionel Messi, the god of football, has written a new chapter in World Cup history. By scoring two goals in the match against Austria, Messi has reached 18 career goals, proudly standing alone as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the story.

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Messi, who tied Germany's Miroslav Klose for the record with 16 goals after a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria, had a chance to break the record early in the 9th minute of the first half against Austria as a penalty kick taker. However, he hung his head in disappointment as his shot missed to the right of the goal.

The cheers from the stands grew even louder to encourage him, and fueled by that support, Messi finally opened the scoring in the 38th minute of the first half.

He connected with a cutback from the left, firing a powerful one-touch shot that rattled the back of the net.

The stadium erupted in euphoria as he broke the all-time World Cup scoring record with his 17th career goal.

Messi's goal-scoring spree did not stop there.

In stoppage time of the second half, he created a chance for a teammate with a precise pass during a counterattack, but after it was blocked by the goalkeeper, he received a pass inside the penalty box. He navigated through the dense defense with his signature dribbling and found the back of the net after two attempts, letting out a roar of celebration.

As he scored an artistic goal by finding a tiny gap despite being tightly marked by four defenders and the goalkeeper, the Austrian players collapsed in dismay.

Thanks to Messi's one-man show, Argentina defeated Austria 2-0, securing their spot in the Round of 32 with two consecutive wins.

[Lionel Messi / Argentina National Football Team: I was very angry with myself when I missed the penalty kick. However, we turned the situation around, took the lead, and added three points. That is what is important.]

With 18 career World Cup goals, Messi now stands alone at the top of the all-time list with a two-goal lead. With five goals in this tournament, he also leads the Golden Boot race, increasing his chances of winning his first-ever World Cup top scorer award.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.