Lionel Messi wowed in his sixth World Cup,leading Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City Tuesday. It was Argentina's opening match,with Messi hitting his first World Cup hat-trick and tying all-time goals record at 16.
Messi had an early strike nullified by offside in eighth minute . But he soon made impact with a classic run and powerful finish from box edge, leaving Algerian keeper Luca Zidane flat-footed . This came right after Algeria saw their own goal erased for offside,when Fares Chaibi scored in ninth minute.
At the hour mark,Messi tapped in rebound from Alexis Mac Allister's shot. Then,76th minute,he struck again with a low drive from outside box . That goal put him level with Miroslav Klose as World Cup's joint-top scorer.
Messi subbed off after his third goal,greeted by a standing ovation. Looked a bit reluctant to leave,probably resting for next game against Austria on Monday. Argentina wants to avoid another opening match upset like 2022 loss to Saudi Arabia.
Algeria couldn't mount much of a threat,failing to take early chances. Messi's show overshadowed other stars that day . Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France in 3-1 win over Senegal,while Erling Haaland hit two for Norway in 4-1 victory against Iraq.
This game also marked Messi's 200th international cap, a journey starting in 2005 at age 18. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays his 229th Wednesday,and Bader al-Mutawa of Kuwait,with 202, have more caps.
Messi,mostly European club player,now with Inter Miami in US. Despite a recent hamstring tweak,he showed no issues in warm-up against Iceland last week, scoring a penalty.
Argentina seeks to build on this strong start in tournament. Next up, Austria. Aiming to join the select few who've defended World Cup titles…
