Lionel Messi furious after missed penalty: Argentina captain sets record

Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi shared his thoughts on a situation that arose during the World Cup match against Austria (2:0). The legendary forward did not hide his frustration after failing to convert a penalty in the opening minutes of the match. Nevertheless, the experienced footballer regained his composure during the game and managed to score a brace. According to Goal.com, reports .

In the 8th minute of the match held in Doha, Lionel Messi missed an 11-meter penalty kick. This was one of the rare occurrences in his career, as the ball went wide of the post. According to Goal.com, this was recorded as Messi's third unsuccessful attempt in tournament history (excluding penalty shootouts). However, this mistake did not break the forward's spirit.

In a post-match interview, Lionel Messi explained his anger: "I was very angry with myself for missing the penalty today. The strike was very poor. Fortunately, we were able to turn the situation around, take the lead, and secure three important points. That was the most important thing." According to him, although the team planned to win, the opponent's resistance was stronger than expected.

Historical record and group leadership

By scoring two goals during the match, Lionel Messi not only brought victory to his team but also opened a new page in the world of football. He increased his World Cup goal tally to 18, breaking the record of the legendary German forward Miroslav Klose. Messi now stands alone as the all-time top scorer in the history of the tournament.

With this victory, the Argentina national team solidified its first place in Group J and secured an early ticket to the knockout stage. Currently, Messi has 5 goals in just two games of the current tournament. This indicator shows that the 37-year-old forward is still in top sporting form.

"We are the Argentina national team and we take the field only for victory against any opponent. Today's game was not easy; the opponent acted very quickly, and it was difficult for us to establish ball control. But we achieved our goal — the task of advancing to the round of 32 as group winners," the captain added.

This victory gives Argentina a psychological advantage ahead of the decisive stages of the tournament. The ability of a leader like Messi to recover after a mistake and lead the team remains one of the key factors in the current world champions' path to defending their title. The team aims to further strengthen its game before the next matches.