Lionel Messi Defending champions Argentina turned back the clock once again with their debut. FIFA World Cup The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner defended his title in emphatic fashion, scoring his first World Cup hat-trick in Wednesday’s emphatic 3-0 victory over Algeria at the Arrowhead Stadium.20 years after making his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro – a match in which he also scored – the Argentina captain delivered another masterpiece, sending a sea of ​​blue and white into a frenzy inside the Kansas City venue.As it happened: Argentina vs Algeria, FIFA World CupMessi opened the scoring after being picked off by Rodrigo de Paul, pouncing on the rebound to double Argentina’s lead early in the second half and completing his treble with a trademark finish before leaving the field standing up.The goals took the 38-year-old’s tally at the World Cup to 16, moving him joint top of the all-time scoring charts with Germany legend Miroslav Klose.“At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “He’s incredible.”
Another milestone in an illustrious career
The hat-trick is the 61st of Messi’s illustrious career and his 11th for Argentina. He extended his scoring streak to five consecutive World Cup matches, making him the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to score in five different editions of the tournament.Messi’s appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, two decades after he first pulled on the famous blue and white shirt.“I’m very happy to be alive with everything that comes my way,” Messi said. “I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it a lot.”There were concerns about a minor hamstring problem with Inter Miami heading into the tournament, but the Argentine icon showed no signs of discomfort.“When I’m in good shape, I give my all,” Messi added.
World champions make a statement.
Argentina were too strong against Algeria and looked every inch capable of defending the trophy they won in Qatar four years ago.Algeria thought they had taken an early lead through Faris Chaibi, only for VAR to rule out the effort for offside. Moments later, Messi struck, and the world champion never looked back.Strong defensively and fluid in possession, Lionel Scaloni’s men controlled all action, with De Paul, Alexis McAllister and Lautaro Martinez playing key roles alongside their captain.Messi’s heroics overshadowed big performances elsewhere on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal and Erling Holland netting a brace in Norway’s 4-1 victory over Iraq.“Messi is a crazy man,” Holland wrote on Snapchat.Rodrigo de Paul probably summed up the significance of Argentina’s talisman best.“Having Leo is an advantage because of how he handles and drives the group. Because of who he is,” DePaul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prefers the group, and for us that’s incredible.”With their captain in vintage form, Argentina’s pursuit of back-to-back World Cup crowns could hardly have started more convincingly.
