Lionel Messi had to prove himself worthy during a KO stage of the World Cup, where he had failed to score a single goal for Argentina. Now, "La Pulga" has delivered when La Albiceleste needed him the most.

The Argentine ace found the back of the net just after 35 minutes, and by doing that, he celebrated his 1,000th professional game with an impressive shot. Moreover, he added to his legendary status in the world of football, finding the back of the net for the ninth time in a World Cup match and for the first occasion in a knockout stage clash.

10—Gabriel Batistuta
9—Lionel Messi
8—Diego Maradona

Messi becomes Argentina's second-highest scorer at the World Cup pic.twitter.com/3ZPzVg6Wa2

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 3, 2022

This goal by Messi also saw him rise within the ranks of the players that have most goal contributions for their team in World Cup games. Players with more goals and assists in World Cup history)

Jugadores con más goles y asistencias en TODA la historia de la Copa del Mundo:

19 Klose (16+3)
19 Ronaldo (15+4)
19 Gerd Müller (14+5)
19 Pelé (12+7)
17 Lato (10+7)
17 Uwe Seeler (9+8)
16 Thomas Müller (10+6)
16 MESSI (9+7)
16 Maradona (8+8)#ARGAUS #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022

— MisterChip (Alexis) (@2010MisterChip) December 3, 2022

Have a look at Lionel Messi's opening goal against Australia here (Image might be geo-restricted).

MESSI MAGIC

That's the first knockout stage goal in Messi's FIFA World Cup career pic.twitter.com/wyzfdVfby3

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 3, 2022