Argentina 2–0 Austria: Group A sealed in Houston

Goals from Lautaro Martínez and Alexis Mac Allister sent Argentina top of Group A with a game to spare.

A disciplined Austria came to Houston with a clear plan: sit deep, suffocate the half-spaces, and frustrate Messi. For an hour, it worked.

Then Lautaro Martínez happened. The Inter striker peeled off the back shoulder of Maximilian Wöber, met a Nicolás Tagliafico cut-back first time, and rifled Argentina ahead on 63 minutes. Alexis Mac Allister added the second nine minutes later, lashing in from the edge of the box after Austria failed to clear a Messi corner.

The 2–0 result sealed top spot in Group A and gives Lionel Scaloni the luxury of rotating in the final group fixture. Argentina now look ahead to the Round of 32 in the expanded 48-team format, with their seeding all but confirmed.