The Argentine national team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup after defeating Australia 2-1 in a match held today, Saturday, as part of the Round of 16 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Argentina is set for a fiery clash against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, which previously advanced at the expense of the United States with a score of 3-1. This match is scheduled for Friday at 9 PM Beirut time.
Lionel Messi scored Argentina's first goal in the 35th minute, followed by Julián Álvarez who doubled the score in the 57th minute. However, Enzo Fernández of Argentina reduced the gap for Australia with an own goal in the 77th minute.
This match had a special historical significance for Messi, as it marked the 1000th match in his illustrious professional career, and he increased his total goals in all competitions to 789. Previously, Messi had scored 8 goals in World Cup tournaments, all in the group stages, and had never scored in knockout rounds until today, raising his overall tally to 9 goals. He is now just one goal behind Gabriel Batistuta and one goal ahead of Diego Maradona.
Messi also matched the number of goals scored by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in major tournaments, with both holding 22 goals. Messi's tally includes 13 goals in the Copa América and 9 goals in World Cup competitions, while Ronaldo has scored 14 goals in the European Championship and 8 in the World Cup.
