Argentina Advances After Two Goals From Messi
- Alex McCaskey
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Credit Sky Sports
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Another team has punched their ticket to the knockout round of the World Cup. Argentina finished with the top spot in Group J after a 2-0 defeat of Austria on June 22nd. During the match, Lionel Messi also became the all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup.
In a match that many expected Argentina to win, it took awhile for the first goal of the game to find the back of the net, as Lionel Messi’s record breaking attempt resulted in a missed penalty early on. However, the world’s greatest star broke the deadlock in the 38th minute after a brilliant dummy by Almada to give the defending champs a 1-0 lead. This lead would hold until the referee blew for halftime with the scoreboard reading 1-0.
Would Austria be able to tie it up or would Argentina leave with three points? The second half would tell the story. Just as it looked like the final whistle was coming and the final score would be 1-0, Lionel Messi doubled the lead in injury time to score his 18th World Cup goal and give Argentina a 2-0 win.
The stats also tell an interesting story. Argentina controlled possession, leading 54% to 46% for Austria. The shots also favored Argentina 5-1. The game also got a bit physical with 26 fouls committed and each team responsible for 13.
What’s next for these two squads in group play? Both teams play Saturday June 27th with Argentina taking on Jordan who sit in fourth place in the group at 10:00 pm in Dallas. Austria looks to rebound with a 10:00 pm match against Algeria in Kansas City. With Argentina punching their ticket, Austria and Algeria have something to play for as three teams from each group advance and second and third place are still up for grabs.
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