Argentina vs Austria Player Ratings- Man of the Match, Winners and Disappointments
Argentina secured its second FIFA 2026 World Cup win after beating Group J rivals Austria 1-0.
The defending champions won a penalty early in the match when Lautaro Martínez was fouled. To the disappointment of fans, Lionel Messi ended up missing by clipping his spot-kick wide of the post.
In the second half, there were bookings on both sides: Facundo Medina for Argentina, and Konrad Laimer and Stefan Posch for Austria.
Both managers also turned to their benches, bringing on Julián Álvarez and Nicolás González for Argentina, while Marko Arnautović was introduced for Austria.
Who Scored for Argentina?
Lionel Messi struck in the 38th minute with a left-footed finish from the center of the box, assisted by Facundo Medina.
The goal marked his 17th career World Cup strike, surpassing Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
Messi scored again deep into stoppage time taking his personal tally to 18 career World Cup goals.
Player Ratings for Argentina vs Austria (1-10
These post-match player ratings from Athlon Sports are based on first-hand analysis while watching the match.
A one (1) is the worst possible score for a player who saw substantial minutes, while a 10 represents a stellar game-changing performance. A five (5) is average based on a player's role and expected contributions.
Argetina:
Emiliano Martínez - 7.0
Nahuel Molina - 7.0
Cristian Romero - 7.0
Lisandro Martínez - 7.5
Facundo Medina - 7.5
Rodrigo De Paul - 6.5
Alexis Mac Allister - 7.0
Enzo Fernández - 7.5
Thiago Almada - 7.0
Lionel Messi - 9.5 (Player of the match)
Lautaro Martínez - 7.0
Nicolás Otamendi - 6.5
Nicolás Tagliafico - 6.5
Leandro Paredes - 6.0
Nico González - 6.5
Julián Álvarez - 6.0
Austria:
Alexander Schlager - 5.5
Stefan Posch - 5.5
David Alaba - 7.0
Kevin Danso - 6.5
Konrad Laimer - 6.0
Xaver Schlager - 6.0
Nicolas Seiwald - 6.5
Romano Schmid - 6.5
Paul Wanner - 6.5
Marcel Sabitzer - 6.5
Michael Gregoritsch - 6.5
Marko Arnautovic - 6.0
Marco Friedl - 6.5
Alexander Prass - 6.0
Patrick Wimmer - 6.0
Carney Chukwuemeka - 6.0
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 12:06 PM.