Argentina began their bid to defend the World Cup title with a commanding performance against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. Riding a hat-trick from Lionel Messi, they beat Algeria 3-0 to send a strong message in Group J.
Argentina played attacking football from the start of the match. Messi found the net early, but that celebration was cut short by the assistant referee’s flag for offside. Around the same time Algeria also took a chance, but their goal too was ruled out for offside. As a result the match crackled with tension from the outset, with both sides playing in an attacking frame of mind.
Then in the 17th minute came the moment. Receiving the ball from Rodrigo De Paul in midfield, Lionel Messi cut through Algeria’s defense and advanced. Making space outside the box, he found the net with a precise, curling shot with his left foot. Luca Zidane did his best but could not stop the shot. With that goal Argentina went ahead and took control of the match.
Although Algeria tried to settle in the first half, Argentina kept up the pressure. With possession and quick passing in midfield, they created attack after attack. But the chance to extend the lead was not fully taken. Algeria, meanwhile, managed their defense and broke forward from time to time, but could not put Argentina’s defense under much pressure.
In the second half the pace of the match rose further. In the 60th minute Argentina got their second goal. From an Emiliano Martinez long ball, an attack developed and Mac Allister shot from outside the box. The Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane failed to deal with the shot cleanly. At that very moment Messi, standing in the box, gently tapped home to double the lead.
Then in the 76th minute came the match’s biggest moment. Building a fine attack in combination with Nicolas Gonzalez, Messi got the ball again. Making space outside the box, he sent a powerful shot into the net to complete his hat-trick. That goal effectively ended the match and secured Argentina’s win.
The match will stand as a special chapter for Lionel Messi. It was his 200th international appearance for Argentina, and in that important match he scored his first World Cup hat-trick. At the same time he moved to 16 goals on the all-time list of World Cup scorers, drawing level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
Messi also set several records in this match. He became the oldest player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, the first footballer to play at six different World Cup editions, and took his total World Cup goal contributions to 24 — surpassing Pele’s record. He also kept up his run of scoring in five consecutive World Cup matches.
All in all, Argentina’s win was not just one match won, but a night on which a new chapter of history was written through Messi. Though he is 38, he proved once again that on the big stage he remains irresistible.
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