Reactions As Lionel Messi Breaks Diego Maradona Record In World Cup Knockout Clash

Argentina star Lionel Messi has broken Diego Maradona’s record by scoring his ninth goal at a World Cup finals.

In his 1,000th career appearance, Lionel Messi has scored his 789th goal, and his first in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

His effort put Argentina 1-0 up against Australia and takes him one clear of Maradona and just one behind compatriot Gabriel Batistuta.

The Paris Saint-Germain star scored at three separate World Cups before 2022 but had never netted in a knockout game. Now, after finding the target twice in the group stages, he has finally broken his duck in the knockout stages.

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Below are some reactions from football fans on Twitter culled by infoexpert24:

@FabrizioRomano: Lionel Andrés Messi on his 1,000th senior game. Goal number 9 at the World Cup in his career. ⭐️🇦🇷 #Qatar2022 #Messi

@GaryLineker: Messi scores his 789th goal in his 1000th match and his first ever in a knockout game at a World Cup. His 9th World Cup goal takes him ahead of Maradona and one behind Batistuta. A moment of Messi magic amid a messy match.

@DaveOCKOP: 788 goals in 1000 appearances. Messi will be spoken about for centuries to come. We lived it.

@MimosaFawaz: Lionel Messi has now scored as many major tournament goals as Cristiano Ronaldo, 22 total.