
World Cup
5:00 p.mJune 22, 2026
Group stage – 2
AT&T Stadium
Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar, Egypt


Argentina


Austria
Turn off the spoiler to see match stats
2.65
Expected Goals (xG)
0.50
-0.51
Prevented goals
-0.51
Passing by
493 (89%)
Accurate passes
402 (86%)
Turn off the spoiler to see the events of the match
23
G
Emiliano Martinez
6.9
d
Facundo Medina
6
d
Lisandro Martinez
7.2
13
d
Cristian Romero
7.2
26
d
Nahuel Molina
6.9
16
M
Thiago Almada
6.9
24
M
Enzo Fernandez
7.2
20
M
Alexis McAllister
6.9
7
M
Rodrigo De Paul
6.9
22
F
Lautaro Martinez
7.2
F
Lionel Messi (C)
38′
90+5′
1
G
Alexander Schlager
6.2
d
Konrad Laimer
8
d
David Alaba (C)
7.9
3
d
Kevin Dance
6.9
d
Stefan Posch
4
M
Xavier Schlager
6.3
6
M
Nicolas Seiwald
7.7
9
M
Marcel Sabitzer
6.6
24
M
Paul Wanner
6.3
18
M
Roman Schmidt
6.9
11
F
Michael Gregoritsch
6.7
Substitutes
14
F
Saša Kalajdžić
16
d
Phillip Mwene
26
M
Alessandro Schöpf
10
M
Florian Grillitsch
19
M
Dejan Ljubičić
15
d
Philip Lienhart
25
d
Miquel Svoboda
2
d
David Affengruber
12
G
Florian Wiegele
13
G
Patrick Pentz
M
Carney Chukwuemeka
M
Patrick Wimmer
F
Marko Arnautovic
d
Alexander Prass
d
Marco Friedl

World Cup Classification – Group J
Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Austria in their World Cup clash at AT&T Stadium.
The much-anticipated group stage match on June 22, 2026 saw the South American champions looking to assert their dominance. Austria came into the match in good form, hoping to cause an upset against the tournament favourites.
Argentina secured control from the first whistle, keeping possession and pressing high up the pitch. Their early dominance quickly paid off as they forced the Austrian defense into a critical error inside the penalty area.
In the 9th minute, the referee pointed to the penalty spot after a foul in the area. Messi stepped forward and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the keeper no chance.
Austria tried to respond, but Nicolas Seiwald and David Alaba struggled to break down Argentina’s compact midfield. The South Americans continued to control the tempo, moving the ball with speed and precision all over the pitch.
The pressure paid off again in the 38th minute. Messi found space on the edge of the box and fired a fine effort into the net to double Argentina’s lead before the break.
With a comfortable two-goal cushion at the break, Argentina looked completely in control. Austria needed to find a quick response in the second half, but their attackers found themselves without quality service.
The second half proved to be much tighter as Austria strengthened their defence. Argentina remained patient, keeping possession and circulating the ball well, and finished the game with an impressive 54 percent possession.
Tensions began to rise as the game progressed, leading to several physical challenges. In the 76th minute, Facundo Medina and Konrad Laimer received yellow cards after a heated confrontation in the middle of the pitch.
Argentina dominated the final stats, registering 12 shots in total and creating an expected goal value of 2.65. In contrast, Austria struggled to threaten, managing just one shot on target during the ninety minutes.
The 2-0 victory puts Argentina at the top of the group standings with three points. Messi’s match-winning performance ensures his side get their World Cup campaign off to the best possible start.

