Argentina and Austria squared off on Monday, June 22, for a high-stakes Matchday 2 Group L clash at the 2026 World Cup. Given a golden opportunity to open the scoreline early for the Albiceleste, superstar Lionel Messi shocked fans by missing a crucial penalty kick.
The drama began in the fifth minute when striker Lautaro Martinez was brought down inside the penalty box by Austria defender Stefan Posch, forcing the referee to point to the spot. Following a lengthy delay, Messi stepped up to take the shot in the eighth minute, completely pulling his attempt far wide of the right post while goalkeeper Alexander Schlager diving the right way.
The rare blunder recalled Messi’s previous high-profile spot-kick miss during Argentina’s triumphant championship run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. During that tournament’s final group stage match, the legendary number 10 had a similar 39th-minute chance to open the scoring against Poland, only to see his powerful effort parried away by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Prior to this match, every single penalty kick awarded in North America had been successfully converted. Messi’s unexpected misfire on Monday afternoon marks the first failed penalty attempt of this year’s tournament.
Messi sets an unwanted record from the penalty spot
Back in 2022, Messi proved to be clinical from twelve yards out, converting four of his seven total tournament goals from the penalty spot. However, Monday’s high-profile blunder cements an unwanted milestone for the forward in what has historically been one of his primary specialties.
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With three career penalty failures on his resume, Messi now stands alone as the player with the most missed penalties in World Cup history. By adding Monday’s miss to his previous failed attempts against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022, he surpasses Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan, who missed two spot-kicks during his World Cup career.
