Argentina’s Lionel Messi, left, and Julián Álvarez celebrate their team’s second goal in the match between Argentina and Australia on Saturday.
Frank Augstein/AP
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Frank Augstein/AP
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, left, and Julián Álvarez celebrate their team’s second goal in the match between Argentina and Australia on Saturday.
Frank Augstein/AP
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Lionel Messi marked his 1,000th professional game with his first goal in the knockout stages of a World Cup, sending Argentina into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday.
With his famous left-foot strike in the 34th minute, Messi put Argentina ahead with a third goal at this year’s tournament and ninth in total goals at the World Cup – one more than Diego Maradona. table.
Julián Álvarez, after a strong touch from Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to cushion the ball into an empty net, scored the second goal to help Argentina meet the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Australia scored a consolation in the 77th minute when Craig Goodwin’s shot missed the post of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
For Australia’s unannounced team, it was a match too far at a World Cup where the team exceeded expectations by reaching the knockout stages for the second time. Australia also lost in the round of 16 in 2006 to eventual champions Italy.
Maybe that’s a harbinger for Argentina, who have fully recovered from a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their group stage opener and have won three games in a row.
As for Messi, he currently has 789 career goals and will likely peak on December 18 by winning football’s biggest trophy for the fifth time and maybe the last World Cup.
