Lionel Messi, making his sixth World Cup appearance, scored the first hat-trick of his career at the tournament, taking his career World Cup tally to 16 goals — equaling the record held by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose. The final goal came from a low, driven long-range shot into the bottom corner past Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane in the 76th minute.
The match took place in Kansas City on Tuesday, where Argentina began their campaign to defend the world title. Messi came close to scoring in the eighth minute with a close-range effort that was ruled offside. However, minutes later he broke the deadlock by dribbling into the box and finishing with his favored left foot, leaving the Algeria goalkeeper with no chance.
His second goal came from a close-range rebound in the 60th minute after Alexis Mac Allister's shot was parried by the Algeria keeper. The hat-trick was completed in the 76th minute with a technically precise long-range strike, bringing Messi level with Klose's World Cup goals record.
In the 79th minute, Messi was substituted to a standing ovation, apparently being rested for the remainder of the tournament as Argentina aims to become only the third team in history to successfully defend the World Cup. The former Barcelona and PSG star now plays for Inter Miami.
Algeria, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champion, had a goal disallowed for offside in the ninth minute through Fares Chaibi. However, they could not produce an upset against a dominant Argentina side.
Notably, Argentina avoided the opening-match defeat they suffered at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar against Saudi Arabia. In the same group, Jordan and Austria are set to play later Tuesday in San Francisco.
