Penalty miss keeps Messi level with Klose in World Cup scoring charts

The Argentina captain would have moved clear of Miroslav Klose as the tournament's outright leading goalscorer had he converted from the spot.

Fresh from his hat-trick against Algeria, Messi looked poised to break the record when Argentina were awarded a penalty inside the opening 10 minutes.

Lautaro Martinez was brought down following challenges from Alexander Schlager and Stefan Posch, with referee Amin Omar overturning his original decision after being sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR.

As expected, Messi stepped up, but his trademark slow run-up ended in disappointment. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner dragged his effort wide of the left-hand post, leaving the scores level and his World Cup tally stuck on 16 goals.

The miss was a rare blemish from 12 yards. Messi had converted almost every penalty he had taken over the past three and a half years, with his previous miss coming against Charlotte FC in MLS in September.

Before that, the last time he had failed from the spot was against Poland at the 2022 World Cup, when Wojciech Szczesny denied him from 12 yards. It was only the third penalty miss of Messi's World Cup career.