His effort gave Argentina a 1-0 lead against Australia and took him one clear of Maradona and just one behind compatriot Gabriel Batistuta.
Lionel Messi, the world-famous Argentina captain, has broken Diego Maradoná record.
Messi, on Saturday broke Diego Maradona’s record by scoring his ninth goal at a World Cup.
In his 1,000th career appearance, the 35-year-old netted his 789th goal.
It was also Messi’s first in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
His effort gave Argentina a 1-0 lead against Australia and took him one clear of Maradona and just one behind compatriot Gabriel Batistuta.
Messi scored at three separate World Cups before this year, but had never found the back of the net in a knockout match.
Now, after finding the target twice during the group stages, Messi has finally broken his duck in the knockout stages.