Lionel Messi became the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer after scoring twice in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria, moving past Germany's Miroslav Klose.
Messi had entered the match level with Klose on 16 goals following his hat-trick in Argentina's tournament opener against Algeria. The 38-year-old missed an early chance to break the record outright when he sent a penalty wide of the target after nine minutes.
He did not have to wait long. Messi swept home with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area, finishing off a flowing move after Thiago Almada intelligently dummied Facundo Medina's cross.
BBC co-commentator Danny Murphy called it a brilliant goal. "It's a brilliant goal, great move, it was just a matter of time," Murphy said. "Lionel Messi keeps getting in those great areas with the free role he has got. For him, that's an easy finish, the only surprise was that he didn't score earlier. His football intelligence is off the charts, he just finds space and the timing is great from the best player I've ever seen."
The goal also made Messi just the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho, who achieved the feat in 1958 and 1970 respectively.
Messi extends record with 18th goal
Messi extended his record to 18 goals in second-half stoppage time. He initially looked to set up Julian Alvarez, whose effort was denied by Austria's goalkeeper. The ball came back to Messi, who rounded the goalkeeper before seeing his effort blocked by a defender, then latched onto the rebound to slot home and seal the 2-0 win.
Deep into stoppage time, Messi went for a third goal with a free kick, but sent his effort wide of the target as he chased back-to-back World Cup hat-tricks.
Messi's 18 goals have come in 28 World Cup matches. The new landmark immediately came under pressure from France's Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice in France's 3-0 win over Iraq hours later to move to 16 goals, four behind Messi.
Messi leads the race for the Golden Boot with five goals in two matches, and Argentina's win over Austria confirmed their place in the knockout stages.
Klopp and Muller among well-wishers
Messi was embraced after the match by his teammates, as well as by Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Muller, who were working as pundits for German television.
BBC pundit Oliver Giroud said Messi, despite being 38, was more decisive than ever for Argentina. "Lionel Messi has got the players around him just looking for him," Giroud said. "They play for him and that's a huge honour for them, they have so much respect for him, it's such a privilege for them to play with him. They are ready to die on the pitch for him and give everything to get another World Cup back-to-back. He is more decisive than ever."