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Updated December 4th, 2022 at 17:44 IST

Here's what Lionel Messi had to say after his historic 1000th career game vs Australia

Lionel Messi had yet another outstanding game in front of the goal against Australia as he brought up his 789th goal in his historic 1000th career game.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Lionel Messi records
Image: AP | Image:self
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Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi had yet another outstanding game in front of the goal against Australia as he brought up his 789th goal in his historic 1000th career game. The Argentine captain not only contributed with his goal but also created several other chances for his teammates to lead his side to a 2-1 victory against Australia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarter-finals.

'I found out today': Lionel Messi on playing 1000th career game

While speaking to the media in his post-match press conference about his historic 1000th career match, Lionel Messi said, "I found out today that it was the 1,000th match. I live in the moment and I enjoy what we're going through, and I'm happy to take one more step to get through to the quarterfinals." Argentina will now play the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on December 9.

Lionel Messi leads Argentina to victory against Australia

Lionel Messi marked his 1,000th professional game with his first goal in the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup, leading Argentina into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday. With a flourish of his famous left foot in the 34th minute, Messi put Argentina ahead with his third goal at this year's tournament and ninth in total at the World Cup — one more than 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona.

Julián Álvarez then doubled Argentina's lead in the 57th minute by pouncing on a heavy touch by Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to tap into an empty net. However, Australia did not go down without a fight as they scored a 77th-minute consolation goal when Craig Goodwin’s shot deflected into the net off Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez. 

As for Messi, he now has 789 goals in a career that might yet reach a crescendo on December 18 by winning football's biggest trophy in his fifth and likely last FIFA World Cup. The 35-year-old came agonizingly close to a World Cup win back in 2014 when Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat in the final against Germany in extra time.

(Inputs from AP)

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Published December 4th, 2022 at 17:44 IST

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