Argentina began the defence of their FIFA World Cup crown in emphatic fashion as Lionel Messi produced a historic hat trick in a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria at Kansas City Stadium.
On a night filled with records and milestones, Messi marked his 200th appearance for Argentina by moving level with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history. The 38-year-old struck three times to take his tournament tally to 16 goals and guide the reigning champions to the perfect start in their Group campaign.
The evening almost exploded into life within five minutes. Messi thought he had opened the scoring after finishing clinically from close range, but celebrations were cut short when the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Algeria believed they had responded moments later when Fares Chaibi found the net. However, after a tight review, the goal was also ruled out for offside, meaning both sides had seen efforts disallowed inside the opening 10 minutes.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 17th minute and it came from the player everyone expected.
Rodrigo De Paul fed Messi in space and the Argentina captain drove forward before unleashing a powerful strike from around 25 yards. Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane got both hands to the effort but could not prevent the ball from crossing the line.
The goal was Messi’s 118th for Argentina and his 14th in FIFA World Cup history, drawing him level with France legend Just Fontaine as his country’s leading scorer at the tournament.
Argentina dominated possession and controlled the tempo for much of the first half, though Algeria did create a rare opening before the break.
Chaibi, whose earlier effort had been ruled out, tried his luck from a difficult angle in the 41st minute. However, Emiliano Martinez reacted well to push the ball behind for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Algeria recycled possession back into the area, but Chaibi’s header drifted wide.
The world champions resumed the second half with the same intensity.
Messi nearly doubled the lead in the 51st minute when he curled a left footed effort from 20 yards narrowly over the crossbar. It was a warning Algeria failed to heed.
Nine minutes later, Argentina grabbed their second goal and once again Messi was at the heart of it.
Alexis Mac Allister struck a low effort from distance that should have been comfortably handled by Zidane. Instead, the goalkeeper spilled the ball into a dangerous area and Messi reacted quickest, calmly slotting home with his right foot for his 15th World Cup goal.
The strike placed him alongside Germany’s Miroslav Klose in the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring charts.
Messi almost created history moments later. In the 66th minute, he burst beyond his marker and raced through on goal, only for Zidane to redeem himself with an excellent save that tipped the effort over the bar.
Even so, the Argentina captain had already entered the record books.
At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi became the oldest player ever to score twice in a FIFA World Cup match.
The hat trick eventually arrived in the 76th minute and it was a goal worthy of the occasion.
Substitute Nico Gonzalez supplied the pass and Messi produced another superb finish to complete a memorable treble. The goal took him to 16 FIFA World Cup goals, moving him level with Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
The achievement also made Messi the first player to score a hat trick at a FIFA World Cup since Kylian Mbappe accomplished the feat in the dramatic 2022 final between France and Argentina.
Three minutes later, Messi’s work was done. He received a standing ovation from the crowd as he made way for Nico Paz, with Argentina already cruising towards victory.
The substitution means football fans must wait until Argentina’s next match against Austria to see whether Messi can claim the World Cup scoring record outright.
While Messi grabbed the headlines, Argentina delivered an impressive team performance throughout.
Algeria struggled to create meaningful chances and failed to register a single shot on target. It marked the first time they have gone through a FIFA World Cup match without testing the opposing goalkeeper since records began.
The defeat also extended Algeria’s winless run at the tournament to three matches, their longest such sequence since a seven game stretch between 1986 and 2014.
Argentina, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten FIFA World Cup run to seven matches. Their last longer streak came between 2002 and 2010 when they went 10 games without defeat.
For Lionel Messi, however, this night belonged to history.
At 38 years old, he delivered another masterclass on football’s biggest stage, equalled the World Cup scoring record and reminded the world why he remains one of the game’s greatest players.
Three goals from Messi, three points for Argentina and an ominous warning to the rest of the tournament. The champions have arrived and their iconic captain is showing no signs of slowing down.
