This was Lionel Messi’s last time competing in a FIFA World Cup, and he made the most of his time on the pitch this tournament.
Argentina dominated the group stage of the 2022 World Cup. The team placed first in Group C, beating out Poland and ultimately eliminating Mexico and Saudi Arabia from advancing in the tournament. In the first group phase game, Argentina was surprisingly upset by Saudi Arabia. The second game was a redemption opportunity, and Argentina achieved just that when it beat Mexico 2-0. In the third game, the Blue and Whites beat Poland 2-0 and advanced to the knockout phase.
During the knockout phase, Argentina dominated Australia. Argentina was eliminated in the round of 16 during the 2018 World Cup when France beat them 4-3, so this win was big for Messi and Co.
Argentina earned a semifinal berth with a quarterfinals win over the Netherlands, and its top player kept the scoring going in the semis to secure a spot in his second career World Cup Final.
After all of those dominant outings, Messi somehow saved his best for last. He scored twice in the final against France and scored in a penalty shootout that helped him cement his first ever World Cup title.
How many goals has Messi scored in the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far?
Messi scored seven goals in Qatar, placing him second in the tournament’s Golden Boot race.
When did Messi score each goal?
Messi scored in six of Argentina’s seven matches. The first goal was scored in the first group stage game against Saudi Arabia and the second goal was scored in a group stage game with Mexico. Messi then found the back of the net in each of Argentina’s four knockout matches, becoming the first male player in World Cup history to score in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final at the same tournament.
What did each goal look like?
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Messi’s first goal
During Argentina’s World Cup opener, which turned out to be a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, Messi scored Argentina’s lone goal on a penalty kick in the 10th minute.
The penalty kick opportunity came after a VAR review that determined Leandro Paredes was taken down in the box by Abdulelah Al Malki. Messi knocked the ball into the left side of the net for an easy 1-0 lead.
This first 2022 World Cup goal for Messi made him the first Argentine player to score in four different World Cup tournaments (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022).
Messi’s second goal
The next shot Messi sunk into the net occurred during Argentina’s 2-0 domination over Mexico, which was their second group stage battle of the tournament.
During the match, both Messi and his fellow teammate midfielder Enzo Fernandez scored for the Blue and Whites. Messi’s goal, which was a strike from outside the box, came after 63 minutes of deadlock.
Messi’s third goal
Messi didn’t score in Argentina’s third game, which was the group stage finale against Poland. Though Argentina beat Poland 2-0, the 35-year-old forward had a penalty kick that was blocked by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
The superstar’s third goal occurred during Argentina’s fourth fixture, which was their round of 16 battle against Australia where they dominated 2-1.
This goal, which was Messi’s ninth career World Cup goal, broke a scoreless tie and gave Argentina the 1-0 lead over Australia in the 35th minute. It was Messi’s first knockout stage goal scored and ultimately brought Argentina closer to the 2022 World Cup trophy.
Messi’s fourth goal
Messi got another goal from the penalty spot against the Netherlands, and he let his opponent have it with a celebration.
He put Argentina up 2-0 in the 73rd minute of the quarterfinal match, ran over to the Dutch bench and paid homage to a former Argentinian great with a celebration.
Messi’s fifth goal
Messi helped send Argentina to the 2022 World Cup Final with another strike from the penalty spot.
Julián Álvarez drew the foul after getting taken out by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. Messi proceeded to beat Livaković on the PK, putting Argentina up 1-0 in the 34th minute. It was his 11th career World Cup goal, breaking a tie with Gabriel Batistuta for the most in Argentina’s history.
Messi later assisted Álvarez in the second half as the team rolled to a 3-0 victory.
Messi’s sixth goal
Messi got Argentina on the board in the final with a PK goal. Ángel Di María drew the penalty, and Messi proceeded to beat France’s Hugo Lloris to put Argentina up 1-0.
Messi’s seventh goal
Messi’s final World Cup goal nearly became a game-winner. He gave Argentina a 3-2 lead in the 108th minute, but Argentina conceded a PK goal to Kylian Mbappé to send the match to a decisive penalty shootout.
