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Lionel Messi breaks deadlock for Argentina vs. Australia in round of 16 [VIDEO]

The legend does it once again.

By Chinmay Vaidya
Argentina v Australia: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Lionel Messi of Argentina controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Argentina and Australia at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on December 03, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images

It took a little over a half-hour to get things going for Argentina but eventually Lionel Messi found the breakthrough for his side to give them a 1-0 lead over Australia in their round of 16 match at the 2022 World Cup. It’s the first goal in a World Cup knockout game for Messi.

The build-up to this goal might’ve sparked Argentina to eventually find the back of the net. Messi and an Australia defender both ran out of bounds on a play and Messi shoved his opponent off. On the ensuing throw-in, Australia fouled Papu Gomez in retaliation to set up a free kick. Messi didn’t score off the free kick, but the ball got passed around some more for the forward to find an opening. He was able to find the corner of the goal and put his team up.

If Argentina hold on and win this match, they will face Netherlands in the quarterfinal round.

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