World Cup
5:00 PMJune 22, 2026
Group Stage – 2
AT&T Stadium
Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar, Egypt
Argentina
Austria
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2.65
Expected goals (xG)
0.50
-0.51
Goals Prevented
-0.51
Passing
493 (89%)
Accurate passes
402 (86%)
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23
G
Emiliano Martínez
D
Facundo Medina
76′ Unsportsmanlike conduct
38′
6
D
Lisandro Martínez
13
D
Cristian Romero
26
D
Nahuel Molina
16
M
Thiago Almada
24
M
Enzo Fernández
20
M
Alexis Mac Allister
7
M
Rodrigo De Paul
22
F
Lautaro Martínez
F
Lionel Messi (C)
38′
90+5′
9′
1
G
Alexander Schlager
D
Konrad Laimer
76′ Unsportsmanlike conduct
8
D
David Alaba (C)
3
D
Kevin Danso
D
Stefan Posch
40′ Unsportsmanlike conduct
4
M
Xaver Schlager
6
M
Nicolas Seiwald
9
M
Marcel Sabitzer
24
M
Paul Wanner
18
M
Romano Schmid
11
F
Michael Gregoritsch
Substitutes
14
F
Saša Kalajdžić
16
D
Phillipp Mwene
26
M
Alessandro Schöpf
10
M
Florian Grillitsch
19
M
Dejan Ljubičić
15
D
Philipp Lienhart
25
D
Michael Svoboda
2
D
David Affengruber
12
G
Florian Wiegele
13
G
Patrick Pentz
M
Carney Chukwuemeka
85′ Replaced by M. GregoritschM
Patrick Wimmer
78′ Replaced by R. SchmidF
Marko Arnautović
68′ Replaced by P. WannerD
Alexander Prass
68′ Replaced by S. PoschD
Marco Friedl
67′ Replaced by D. Alaba
World Cup Standings – Group J
Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Austria in their World Cup clash at AT&T Stadium.
The highly anticipated Group Stage fixture on June 22, 2026, saw the South American champions looking to assert their dominance. Austria entered the match in good form, hoping to cause an upset against the tournament favorites.
Argentina asserted control right from the opening whistle, keeping the ball and pressing high up the pitch. Their early dominance quickly paid off as they forced the Austrian defense into making a critical error inside the penalty area.
In the 9th minute, the referee pointed to the penalty spot after a foul in the box. Messi stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
Austria tried to respond, but Nicolas Seiwald and David Alaba struggled to break through the compact Argentine midfield. The South Americans continued to control the tempo, moving the ball with speed and precision across the pitch.
The pressure paid off again in the 38th minute of play. Messi found space on the edge of the box and curled a fine effort into the net to double Argentina’s lead before the break.
With a comfortable two-goal cushion at halftime, Argentina looked fully in control. Austria needed to find a quick response in the second half, but their attackers found themselves starved of quality service.
The second half proved to be a much tighter affair as Austria tightened their defense. Argentina remained patient, keeping possession and circulating the ball well, finishing the match with an impressive 54 percent ball possession.
Tensions began to rise as the game progressed, leading to several physical challenges. In the 76th minute, Facundo Medina and Konrad Laimer both received yellow cards after a heated confrontation in the middle of the pitch.
Argentina dominated the final statistics, recording 12 total shots and creating an expected goals value of 2.65. In contrast, Austria struggled to threaten, managing only one shot on target throughout the entire ninety minutes.
The 2-0 victory moves Argentina to the top of the group standings with three points. Messi’s match-winning performance ensures his side starts their World Cup campaign in the best possible fashion.