The 'Messi magic' was back on the ground with the Argentina captain scoring a goal and leading his team to a 2-1 victory over Australia early Sunday, according to India time. Argentina are through to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 now. Lionel Messi was playing his 1,000th professional game and the goal was his first in the knockout stage of a World Cup. He also broke all-time Argentine star and legend Diego Maradona's record by scoring his ninth goal at a World Cup.
Argentina will play the Netherlands in the quarterfinals as the latter defeated the USA in the Round of 16 game played Saturday evening.
The second Argentina goal in today's game was scored by Julián Álvarez. While the Men in White and Sky Blue dominated the first half, Australia returned to the game in the second half and scored a goal in the 77th minute with Craig Goodwin sending the ball into the net, giving a scare to Argentina who had more supporters in the stands to cheer for them. The Aussies played attacking football, covering more ground, but could not turn a few close attempts into goals. They had a good chance to score in the 97th minute but Argentine goalie Emi Martinez pulled off a crucial save to secure his team's victory.
After 1998, Argentina will once again face the Oranje in the quarterfinals. La Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue) had lost and crashed out of the tournament after that encounter.
With 789 professional goals, Messi is now just one behind Gabriel Batistuta among Argentina players. In their last match in the group stage, against Poland, the Paris Saint Germain star recorded his 22nd appearance for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup, crossing another Maradona milestone.
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