Argentina defeats Austria with Messi's goal in opening World Cup group match

The match began defensively for the Austrians, with the aim of disrupting the favorites' rhythm. In the opening phase, the defense around David Alaba and Kevin Danso was initially stable, even though the Argentinians quickly took control of the proceedings. The first major chance, however, belonged to Austria: captain Marcel Sabitzer, who as the offensive hub initiated almost every attack, appeared dangerously in front of the Argentine goal after a quarter of an hour, but failed against the well-reacting South American goalkeeper.

First Half: Austria Stays Compact

After about half an hour, Argentina increasingly took the initiative. The second half began in the 48th minute with no personnel changes, but the South Americans immediately applied tremendous pressure again. The team coached by Lionel Scaloni raised the tempo, combined down the wings, and increasingly forced the Austrian defense back into its own half.

In the 52nd minute, an Argentinian was taken down in the penalty area, and the South Americans were awarded a free kick in a promising position. Just a few minutes later, the moment came: Lionel Messi used his class to put Argentina in front. The goal came after a typical Messi situation in which he dribbled past several opponents in the tightest of spaces and placed the ball into the Austrian net. It developed into the key moment of the match.

Messi's Moment Decides the Match

After going behind, the ÖFB team reacted and came out of the dressing room noticeably improved. In the 60th minute, Austria had held out for an hour, the team appeared sharper and looked for a way forward. An important moment came for Kevin Danso in the 62nd minute, when he cleared at the last moment and prevented a certain goal. The Argentine team, however, pushed Austria increasingly deep into its own half.

In the 67th minute, coach Scaloni brought on Julián Álvarez as a fresh attacker to secure the lead. At 1:0 for Argentina, the referee ordered another drinks break in the 69th minute, before Austria made its own substitution in the 77th minute, bringing on Wimmer for Schmid. The Argentinians' pressure, however, remained constantly high.

In the closing phase, which the live ticker heralded from the 82nd minute onward, time ran out on Austria. Despite all efforts, the ÖFB team was unable to find an equalizer. In the end, the result was a 0:1 defeat that significantly complicates the situation in the group.

Closing Phase Without Success for Austria

In the individual ratings, goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was one of the best: he successfully intimidated Messi during the missed penalty and subsequently kept the ÖFB team in the match on several occasions. David Alaba, as defensive chief, received a grade of 3, as he should have had the back four better under control and his positional play was in need of improvement. Kevin Danso prevented two certain goals with important blocks, but was rated as very shaky, particularly until the 0:1.

Individual Player Grades

Konrad Laimer received a grade of 2 for his activity as left and later right full-back, even though he won only half of his duels. Marcel Sabitzer presented himself as the offensive hub; almost all attacks ran through him. Michael Gregoritsch held the ball up as a wall player, but had only one scoring chance and a weak pass completion rate of 53 percent. Nicolas Seiwald left the central midfield area unprotected before the 0:1 and later wrongly decided against taking a shot.

Paul Wanner showed ambition but allowed Messi to run free before the 0:1 and won hardly any duels. Romano Schmid remained invisible, also because the Austrian play ran almost exclusively down the left side. Stefan Posch caused the penalty and could have been sent off after an act of foul play. Xaver Schlager posted an extremely weak duel success rate of 18 percent.

Looking ahead to the remaining group matches, there is only one clear task for Austria: in the upcoming match against Jordan, points must be taken at all costs to preserve the chance of reaching the round of 16. The performance against Argentina shows that the team can match the favorites, but now must play with greater concentration over the full duration of the match.

Outlook on the Match Against Jordan

As the Austrian side itself assessed: "Gegen Argentinien und Messi: Österreich hofft auf 'amerikanischen' Traum." The hope for the dream has suffered a setback, but the World Cup is not over yet.

The match is classified in the media as the expected difficult task, as the phrasing shows: "Juni 2026, steht Österreich beim zweiten Gruppenspiel der FIFA Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft gegen Titelverteidiger Argentinien vor einer schwierigen Aufgabe."