Argentina meets Austria in World Cup Group J showdown

Argentina and Austria faced each other in a Group J World Cup match in Dallas on 22 June. Argentina entered the game as defending champions, having begun their campaign with a 3‑0 win over Algeria in which Lionel Messi scored a hat‑trick. Austria, coached by Ralph Rangnick, came off a 3‑1 victory over Jordan and said the match was an opportunity to test their strength against the world champions.

During the match, Messi again found the net three times, extending his tournament tally, while midfielder Alexis Mac Allister also contributed to Argentina's attacking play. After the game, the Algerian Football Federation lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, alleging that referee Simon Marcinak failed to penalise a clash between Mac Allister and opponent Ibrahim Mazane and that other decisions favored Argentina. Mac Allister is awaiting a FIFA ruling on the matter, and Algerian coach Vladimir Petkovic called the referee’s handling of the incidents “unjust.”