The diminutive No.10 would create history if he scored against Austria, as it would see him surpass the 16 goals that Miroslav Klose scored at World Cup tournaments, to give him the all-time record, which Messi had equalled against the Saudis.
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Messi misses from the spot
It would also mean he would become only the third player in WC history to score in six consecutive tournament games.
If he managed two assists too, he would have 10 in total across the six WC tournaments he's played in, but Austria would surely revel in the role of party poopers, something they were last time they played Argentina back in 1990, when they earned a draw, coincidentally, against a team who were the defending champions.
Messi had the chance to put his side ahead after only three minutes after Argentina were awarded a penalty, but he dragged his spot-kick wide, and that appeared to lift the Austrians.
Indeed, with 15 minutes played, their collective 56.7% possession was significantly more than La Albiceleste had managed, with Xaver Schlager's perfect 100% pass accuracy a major reason for their ability to stifle their opponents.
Momentum shift as Austria battle for dominance
Schlager also kept out a goal-bound effort from Messi as Argentina attempted to set the tone.
David Alaba and Kevin Danso's four one-on-one duels won between them were evidence enough of a momentum switch, and Austria's Marcel Sabitzer was the next to have an effort at goal.
Interestingly, Argentina's players had attempted only a single dribble in the early stages, though it was successful, whilst the Austrians had attempted six but completed just 16.7% of them.
The latter had also had more final-third entries (eight to six) as the half-hour approached.
Messi would again go close, with only Danso standing in the way of a certain goal, and the Argentinian's two attempts were as many as Austria had managed collectively.
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Record-breaker Leo
The 4-2-4 formation in attack that Ralf Rangnick had employed seamlessly reverted to a 4-4-2 when defending, ensuring that Rodrigo De Paul, for example, was finding it difficult to penetrate the back line, as his 33.3% successful final third entries would attest.
As half-time approached, however, Messi wouldn't be denied, and he drilled home a left-footed shot from Facundo Medina's low cross.
No shots on target from Austria as the half-time whistle went, and Argentina's 72% collective possession in the 15 minutes leading into the break, with literally nothing to do for Emi Martinez in goal, meant Austria would likely have a mountain to climb in the second 45.
Martinez would be called into action within two minutes of the second half starting, however, and again shortly after from a venomous Sabitzer free-kick.
Tempo setters
The tempo was soon being set again by Argentina, with both Thiago Almada and Alexis Mac Allister winning two of their three attempted tackles in midfield, and Enzo Fernandez consistently delivering with his final third passes (12 before the hour mark).
Nicolas Otamendi came on for his 16th WC appearance, taking the place of the excellent Cristian Romero, who had ensured 100% of his final third passes found their target, had made five clearances, two interceptions and enjoyed a magnificent 95.8% pass completion before being forced off.
Austria's much more physical approach meant a stop-start element to proceedings because of consistent free-kick awards, and 75 duels contested in the game clearly showed the lack of flow to the match in the latter stages.
Bringing on Marko Arnautovic should've at least seen a period of aerial dominance for them, but with five minutes left, the striker had still not attempted any tackles or involved himself in any duels.
Messi's coup-de-grace
Argentine sub, Nico Gonzalez, got his head on Argentina's first corner of the game late on, and even though he rose unchallenged, his effort was a whisker away from ending the match as a contest.
As the final stages approached, Austria's attempts to put their foot on the accelerator left them light at the back, with Gonzalez seeing another late effort scrambled clear.
Despite not adding to the scoreline in normal time, with five players reaching double figures for duels attempted, Argentina proved that they could dig in when the need arose.
They did still need a slice of luck during injury time, as Patrick Wimmer's header drifted just the wrong side of the post in a rare Austrian attack, but the coup de grace was left to player-of-the-match Messi.
He fired home his second of the game and fifth of the tournament to underscore a performance that included 15 attempted one-on-ones, the second-most in the match, nine of them won (the joint-best), and seven shots at goal - more than the entire Austrian team.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
