June 17, (THEWILL) — Lionel Messi produced another masterclass on football’s biggest stage, scoring a sensational hat-trick as Argentina opened their FIFA World Cup title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria in Group J on Tuesday.
The Argentine captain not only secured all three points for the reigning champions but also equalled the all-time FIFA World Cup goalscoring record, drawing level with German legend Miroslav Klose on 16 tournament goals.
With history within touching distance before kick-off, Messi wasted little time making his presence felt.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner opened the scoring in the 17th minute, giving Argentina an early advantage as they controlled proceedings at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Argentina continued to dictate the tempo but found Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane in inspired form. The son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane denied Lautaro Martínez and Alexis Mac Allister with a series of impressive saves to keep his side in contention.
However, Zidane could do little when Messi reacted quickest to convert a rebound on the hour mark, doubling Argentina’s lead and moving within one goal of the historic record.
The Algerian defence struggled to contain the South American champions as Messi repeatedly found pockets of space. He thought he should have been awarded a penalty midway through the second half after a challenge from Rayan Aït-Nouri, but referee Szymon Marciniak dismissed the appeals.
Messi eventually got the moment he was searching for in the 76th minute.
Collecting possession just outside the penalty area, he curled a precise low effort into the corner to complete his hat-trick and draw level with Klose’s long-standing World Cup scoring mark.
The stadium erupted as teammates rushed to celebrate with their captain, while thousands of Argentine supporters rose to their feet in appreciation of another historic performance.
Moments later, Messi was substituted to a standing ovation, having once again demonstrated why he remains one of the game’s greatest players.
Argentina’s dominant victory sends an early warning to the rest of the field that the defending champions remain serious contenders for another World Cup crown.
For Algeria, the defeat leaves work to be done in the remaining group fixtures, while Messi’s pursuit of outright ownership of the World Cup scoring record promises to be one of the defining storylines of the tournament.
Olumide Atiba
