Lionel Messi scored on his 1000th game for club and country as Argentina eliminated Australia from the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 win.
Argentina will take on the Netherlands, who defeated the United States earlier on Saturday, in the quarterfinals on Dec. 9.
Messi broke the ice for Argentina in the 35th minute. The Argentine star took advantage of an Australian screen to bend the ball towards the far post and netted his first knockout round goal at the World Cup.
With a ninth goal at the tournament, Messi passed the late Diego Maradonna’s tally of eight. Messi is now one goal short of Gabriel Bastistuta as the highest scoring Argentine at the World Cup.
Argentina pounced on an Aussie defensive mishap to grab a two-goal lead. Goalkeeper Matty Ryan was overwhelmed by Rodrigo De Paul and Julian Alvarez’s two-man press. Alvarez intercepted the ball and tapped in an easy goal in an empty net.
The Socceroos got a goal back in the 77th minute when Craig Goodwin tried his luck from outside the box. The ball deflected off Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and fooled goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez stood tall in stoppage time when he denied Garang Kuol with a last ditch save, keeping the score at 2-1 and sealing Argentina’s victory.
