Messi’s brutal hat-trick sends Argentina flying and Algeria towards a must-win showdown
Argentina opened their World Cup campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria as Lionel Messi delivered a hat-trick on a record-laden night in Kansas City.
Nearly 70,000 Argentina supporters turned Kansas City Stadium into a sea of blue and white on Tuesday. Their songs followed the reigning champions from the warm-up to the final whistle, but the loudest celebrations belonged to Messi.
Making his 200th international appearance, the Argentina captain scored all three goals and moved level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup strikes. He also became the first male footballer to play in six editions of the tournament.
The landmark arrived only hours after France forward Kylian Mbappé had moved beyond Messi’s previous total by reaching 14 World Cup goals. Cristiano Ronaldo could match the six-tournament appearance record when Portugal begins their campaign.
Any concern over the muscle injury that had disrupted Messi’s preparation disappeared once Lionel Scaloni placed him in the starting line-up. Within five minutes, he had the ball in the net. A narrow offside decision ruled out the effort, denying Argentina an immediate breakthrough.
Algeria then suffered the same frustration. Farès Chaïbi finished sharply at the other end, only for another tight offside call to cancel his goal.
Messi soon produced the opener that counted. Rodrigo De Paul found his Inter Miami teammate around 40 yards from the goal in the 17th minute. Messi turned, carried the ball forward and drove a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Goalkeeper Luca Zidane reached it with his fingertips but could not prevent it from crossing the line.
The captain escaped punishment later in the first half after catching Aïssa Mandi on the back of the calf with his studs. The challenge drew no card and officials did not conduct an on-field review, despite the possibility of a serious sanction.
Algeria showed flashes of their energetic qualifying form before half-time, yet they could not turn possession into a shot on target. Argentina’s defence remained composed, while Vladimir Petković’s side struggled to deal with Messi whenever he moved into space.
The second goal arrived after an hour. Alexis Mac Allister tried his luck from distance, and Zidane pushed the effort away, but only into Messi’s path. The forward stayed calm and converted the rebound from close range.
Sixteen minutes later, Messi completed the hat-trick in familiar fashion. Surrounded by three defenders, he threaded a low finish beyond them and past Zidane, matching Klose’s World Cup scoring record before leaving the pitch shortly afterwards.
Argentina’s supporters had begun their celebrations long before kick-off. Thousands gathered at a local park on Monday for a banderazo, filling the night with songs, dancing and chants. The party resumed inside the stadium, where pockets of Algerian fans in green continued to back their team despite being heavily outnumbered.
For Algeria, the result marked a painful return to the World Cup after 12 years away. The 28th-ranked side produced several promising combinations but lacked precision in front of goal and rarely threatened Argentina’s control.
Their next meeting with Jordan now carries greater urgency, with Austria also waiting in Group J. Argentina, meanwhile, collected three points and moved closer to the last 32.
Scaloni had warned before the game that victory was not essential, recalling Argentina’s shock opening defeat by Saudi Arabia in 2022. This time, there was no stumble.
For a team defending its title, the performance delivered authority, control and an unforgettable opening statement.
Argentina next faces Austria in Arlington on Monday. After another historic performance, attention will again centre on Messi and whether he can claim the scoring record outright.