Qatar 2022: Messi Scores As Argentina, Netherlands Zoom Into Quarter-Finals

Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup knockout goal to mark his 1000th career game on Saturday as Argentina defeated Australia to qualify for the quarter-final of the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Nicolas Otamendi’s poor touch landed at the feet of the PSG star, and he curled the ball into the far corner with his first shot of the contest to put his side 1-0 up.

Messi latched on to a ball inside the box and side-footed it into the net, before Mat Ryan’s howler gifted Julian Alvarez a chance to make it 2-0.

Australia pulled one back after Goodwin tried to find a receiver inside of the box from outside the box on the left side, he invariably hit the ball at Fernandez.

The midfielder, trying to direct the header away from the net, ended up wrong-footing his own goalkeeper as the ball goes past Martinez and into the net.

In the first Round of 16 match earlier on Saturday, the Netherlands survived a late scare against the United States to move into the World Cup quarter-finals with a ruthless display of finishing.

The US had the game’s biggest early chance when Christian Pulisic was denied by the legs of Dutch goalkeeper, Andries Noppert, and the failure to take that opportunity proved highly expensive.

Louis van Gaal’s side responded in the finest Dutch traditions in the 10th minute when Memphis Depay crowned a magnificent 21-pass move by turning in Denzel Dumfries’ cross.

The US battled hard but lacked a cutting edge and were punished once more in similar fashion with the final kick of the first half when Daley Blind arrived with perfect timing on the end of another Dumfries cut back.

The Dutch were given anxious moments when the US pulled a goal back in the 76th minute as Haji Wright’s freak deflection from Pulisic’s cross looped in at the far post.

But they restored their two-lead five minutes later when creator Dumfries turned scorer, side-footing in a volley at the far post from Blind’s cross.

Argentina will now face Netherlands in the quarter-final.