Argentina captain Lionel Messi delivered a historic performance on Tuesday night, scoring a sensational hat-trick as the defending world champions opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The match, played before a crowd of 69,045 spectators at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, marked another milestone in Messi’s extraordinary career as he became the first player in football history to feature in six FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The 38-year-old superstar also equalled German legend Miroslav Klose’s World Cup scoring record, taking his tally to 16 goals after producing the first World Cup hat-trick of his illustrious international career.
Messi entered the tournament already regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, but Tuesday’s performance further cemented his legacy.
The Argentine icon, making his 200th appearance for the national team, opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a trademark curling effort that left the Algerian goalkeeper with no chance.
The goal moved him to 14 World Cup goals, drawing level with German great Gerd Muller and France striker Kylian Mbappe on the all-time scoring list.
Argentina continued to dominate possession and create opportunities throughout the contest, with Algeria struggling to contain the South American side’s attacking movement.
Messi struck again shortly after the hour mark when he reacted quickest to a rebound following an effort from Alexis Mac Allister, calmly finishing to make it 2-0.
The second goal lifted him to 15 World Cup goals, placing him alongside Brazilian legend Ronaldo in the tournament’s all-time rankings.
The Argentine captain completed his memorable hat-trick in the 76th minute, finishing clinically from the edge of the penalty area to reach 16 World Cup goals and draw level with Klose at the summit of the competition’s scoring charts.
Moments later, he was substituted to a standing ovation, with fans throughout the stadium rising to applaud a performance that will be remembered as one of the finest of his World Cup career.
Argentina arrived at the tournament as defending champions after their dramatic triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they defeated France in an unforgettable final decided by penalties following a 3-3 draw.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, France began their latest World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice for the French side, continuing his impressive World Cup record and further strengthening his status as one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking players.
The goals saw Mbappe surpass Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading goalscorer, reaching 58 goals in 99 appearances for his country.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his star forward after the match.
“There are still people out there who will criticise him, but he is an extraordinary player,” Deschamps said.
“Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment.”
Deschamps added that breaking the national scoring record on football’s biggest stage made the achievement even more special.
“I am really pleased for him. He didn’t score in the warm-up friendly games, but to break the record at the World Cup gives it more impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, Norway striker Erling Haaland enjoyed a dream World Cup debut by scoring twice in his country’s convincing 4-1 victory over Iraq in Group I.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 29th minute before Iraq equalised through Aymen Hussein. However, the Manchester City striker restored Norway’s lead before halftime after capitalising on a defensive mistake.
The goals increased Haaland’s remarkable international record to 57 goals in just 51 appearances.
Norway added two more goals in the second half through substitute Leo Ostigard and an own goal by Hussein deep into stoppage time.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken expressed satisfaction with Haaland’s performance, saying the striker handled the pressure of his World Cup debut with maturity.
“You could see that he adapted to the occasion; the occasion wasn’t too big for him,” Solbakken said.
“I had a good feeling before the game. I had quite a comfortable feeling that he would do it for us today.”
The day’s action concluded with World Cup newcomers Jordan preparing to face Austria in Santa Clara, California, in the remaining Group J fixture.
For Argentina, however, the spotlight firmly belonged to Messi, whose record-breaking display provided the perfect start to the holders’ quest to retain the World Cup trophy and added yet another remarkable chapter to an already legendary career.
