Lionel Messi may be playing in what is expected to be his final World Cup, but the Argentine superstar continues to produce moments of magic. Argentina began their 2026 World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria, with captain Lionel Messi scoring all three goals.
It was Messi`s first-ever World Cup hat-trick and helped him climb to the top of the tournament`s all-time scoring chart. With 16 World Cup goals, he moved level with German legend Miroslav Klose at the summit of the rankings.
Although Algeria created a few attacking opportunities throughout the match, they rarely troubled the defending champions. Argentina controlled much of the first half before becoming even more dominant after the break.
Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute and completed his hat-trick with further strikes in the 60th and 76th minutes, securing a comfortable victory for his side.
Beyond the hat-trick, Messi added several milestones to his remarkable career. On the same date that he made his World Cup debut 20 years ago, the Argentine captain became the first player in history to feature in six different World Cup tournaments.
The 39-year-old also made his 200th international appearance for Argentina. He became only the third men`s footballer to reach the 200-cap milestone, joining Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwaiti legend Bader Al-Mutawa.
Argentina will face Austria in their second Group J match on June 22.
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