Breaking: Lionel Messi gives Argentina the lead against Australia in FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash

Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored against Australia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash to give his country the lead.

The game against Australia was Messi's 1000th game as a professional and his 169th cap for Argentina.

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LIONEL MESSI PASSES DIEGO MARADONA FOR MOST WORLD CUP GOALS BY AN ARGENTINE!

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LIONEL MESSI PASSES DIEGO MARADONA FOR MOST WORLD CUP GOALS BY AN ARGENTINE! 🇦🇷 https://t.co/ZmbvKVcK9E

The 35-year-old scored his first FIFA World Cup knockout goal and now also has more goals in the competition than the late great Diego Maradona.

Harry Souttar defended an initial free kick. However, Argentina recovered the ball and Nicolas Otamendi fed Lionel Messi with a nice touch.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar found the back of the net through an army of Socceroos defenders.

La Albiceleste dominated the initial proceedings of the game. However, they failed to have a clear-cut go at the Australian goal.

GOAL

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LIONEL MESSI IN HIS 1000TH GAME

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LIONEL MESSI IN HIS 1000TH GAME 💥 https://t.co/AjyPOpoKZ1

The reigning South American champions had to rely on their talismanic captain yet again. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't disappoint. He has now scored three goals in the World Cup and is tied with Kylian Mbappe, Cody Gakpo, Enner Valencia, Alvaro Morata, and Marcus Rashford in the top spot for the Golden Boot race.

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