Lionel Messi misses his third career World Cup penalty
During the World Cup match against Austria, Lionel Messi missed his third career penalty in the tournament.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Bryan Berlin
In the second round of the World Cup group stage, Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick during Argentina's match against Austria. The opportunity arose in the 10th minute of the first half, but the captain's attempt sailed wide of the goal, failing to put his side in the lead.
This miss marks the third time in his career that Messi has failed to convert from the penalty spot at the World Cup. He previously failed to score against Iceland in 2018, when his effort was saved by Hannes Halldórsson, and against Poland in 2022, when Wojciech Szczęsny denied him.
The miss in the 2026 tournament prevented Messi from capitalizing on a major milestone. Had he converted the penalty, he would have reached 17 career goals in the tournament, potentially surpassing Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.