Messi’s record-breaking goals lift Argentina past Austria
Argentina's Lionel Messi falls during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Austria, Monday in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lionel Messi set a World Cup record with his 17th and 18th goals, and defending champion Argentina advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday. Messi had a golden opportunity to break the record in the ninth minute, but went wide to the right on a penalty kick. Almost 30 minutes later, Messi caught Alexander Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada let Facuno Medina’s pass go by him directly onto Messi’s left foot. In the waning seconds of injury time, Messi extended his record by sending a shot through several defenders after Schlager turned away his first attempt. He entered the game even with Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals over four World Cups from 2002-14. Messi has scored all five of Argentina goals in the tournament and has 12 World Cup goals since turning 35. Austria, which opened with a 3-1 victory over Jordan, can advance with a win over Algeria on Saturday in Kansas City. SUNDAY CAPE VERDE 2, URUGUAY 2 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cape Verde’s magical start to its first World Cup isn’t over. It might just be getting started. The tiny island nation that stunned tournament favorite Spain last week did it again against Uruguay — a two-time World Cup champion — on Sunday, coming from behind for a 2-2 draw. Kevin Pina scored on a free kick for Cape Verde’s first-ever goal in the World Cup, and Helio Varela scored the equalizer for what has become one of the most surprising teams of the expanded 48-team tournament — a club now with a legitimate chance of getting into the knockout stage. “This is something we owe to other smaller national teams — teams that struggled to qualify for a world tournament,” Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito said through an interpreter, adding his entire squad believes it can continue its historic play and reach the knockout stage. Cape Verde, which has two points in Group H along with Uruguay, faces Saudi Arabia in its final group match. “We’re also here to show that a country may be small, may struggle financially,” he added, “but if they are resilient, if they can endure struggle, they can also stand shoulder to shoulder with other major teams and with players who are on another level.” EGYPT 3, NEW ZEALAND 1 VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Egypt’s players danced on the field while their red-clad fans celebrated in the stands. The Pharaohs finally got their first World Cup win. Mohamed Salah scored the go-ahead goal and Egypt went on to defeat New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday night. He celebrated his 68th international goal by pumping his fist before he was mobbed by his teammates in the 67th minute. When he was subbed off in the 85th he was treated to a standing ovation by the sellout crowd at BC Place Vancouver. When it was over, coach Hossam Hassan and an assistant grabbed an Egyptian flag and ran around the field waving it aloft. The fans cheered and sang long after the final whistle. Egypt moved to the top of the standings in Group G with the win, but was not yet assured of a spot in the knockout round. The Pharaohs will play a deciding game against Iran on Friday in Seattle, needing at least a draw to advance. IRAN 0, BELGIUM 0 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Iran’s World Cup has been tumultuous off the field, and its play on the pitch still hasn’t produced a victory. Yet Team Melli’s dream of advancing to a World Cup knockout round for the first time is still very much alive, thanks to an afternoon of brilliance from goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in a 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday. In a World Cup that has already produced several memorable goalkeeping performances, Beiranvand joined the group with seven saves against the Red Devils. His one-handed stop from a prone position on Maxim De Cuyper’s point-blank shot early in the second half should rank among the highlight saves of the tournament — and De Cuyper was denied yet again by Beiranvand on a golden opportunity in the 86th minute. “He’s one of our greatest goalkeepers in the history of Iranian football, and he has achieved many things,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said. “He’s extremely intelligent, very experienced, and he had one of his best days today.” But his teammates couldn’t come up with the goal that would have produced a historic victory, not even after Belgium went down to 10 men in the second half. Defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card in the 66th minute when he miskicked a ball backward and then fouled Mehdi Taremi to prevent the Iran star from getting a clean breakaway scoring chance. Belgium actually generated better scoring opportunities down the stretch while finishing with 23 shots, but both teams left with their second straight draw in group play. So while neither team was fully happy with the result at SoFi Stadium, Iran drew many more positives. “The feeling in the dressing room is we could have even get more than what we got today,” Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh said. “But we are very, very happy with the performance we had as a team. I think we showed a great team spirit.” During a tumultuous World Cup trip affected by travel restrictions and visa denials from the U.S., Iran just missed a prime opportunity to beat a European team sitting 10th in FIFA’s world rankings. Team Melli was essentially the home team in the Los Angeles area for its second straight match in front of a stadium packed with fans from the diaspora both supporting the Iranians and decrying the government, with boos of the anthem and hundreds of pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flags displayed. Iran’s World Cup cycle has been chaotic ever since the U.S. began a war on Feb. 28. The Iranians moved their training base from Arizona to Mexico, and the team has been required to leave Los Angeles right after both matches, infuriating Ghalenoei. With so many preparation obstacles, Ghalenoei leaned on experience against Belgium, sending out the oldest starting 11 at a World Cup match since 1966, according to Opta. “This is part of our culture: In a difficult situation, we perform better,” Jahanbakhsh said. Meanwhile, Belgium has yet to score in two matches at this World Cup, getting on the scoreboard only through an own goal in its opening draw with Egypt.