Watch: Lionel Messi Becomes Argentina's All-Time Top Scorer At World Cups By Smashing Penalty Past Croatia Keeper Dominik Livakovic

Lionel Messi became Argentina's all-time top scorer at FIFA World Cups by smashing a penalty kick past Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic in Tuesday's semi-final.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored his fifth goal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by coolly converting a penalty kick 34 minutes into Tuesday's semi-final against Croatia.

Messi was presented with a golden chance to give Argentina the lead after Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic had fouled Julian Alvarez.

PENALTY FOR ARGENTINA pic.twitter.com/YxqHITlE74

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 13, 2022

Livakovic had saved four penalties to help Croatia beat Japan and then Brazil in shootouts in Qatar.

But he stood no chance of stopping Messi's effort, which was emphatically dispatched into the top corner of his goal.

There was no stopping this penalty kick by Messi 🎯🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/TrGy8v1wYJ

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 13, 2022

Record-Breaker Messi

Messi has now scored 11 goals in his World Cup career, which spans five different tournaments.

He has therefore become Argentina's all-time leading scorer at World Cups, bettering the record of Gabriel Batistuta.

Batistuta played at three World Cups - in 1994, 1998, and 2002 - and scored 10 goals.

11 – Lionel Messi has now scored 11 goals at the World Cup, the most of any Argentina player in the competition’s history. Record. pic.twitter.com/0xX0gGJLFb

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 13, 2022

Argentina captain Lionel Messi pictured dispatching a penalty kick past Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup :: IMAGO/Matthias Koch