Messi scores first World Cup hat trick, Argentina beats Algeria 3-0

Lionel Messi turned Argentina’s World Cup opener into a statement of force, scoring three times in a 3-0 win over Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The defending champions did more than start Group J with three points: they showed the structure, sharpness and depth expected of a team trying to stay on top after winning in Qatar in 2022.

Messi struck in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, delivering the first hat trick of his World Cup career and lifting his tournament total to 16 goals. That moved him level with Miroslav Klose for the most goals in men’s World Cup history, and it came in his 200th international appearance for Argentina. He also became the first player to take the field in six different men’s World Cups, a milestone that underlined how long he has sat at the center of the tournament.

For Argentina, the result carried added weight because it came in the first match of the title defense. Lionel Scaloni’s team arrived in Kansas City as the reigning champion and left with a performance that suggested the core still has the control and familiarity required for another serious run. The matchup also reflected the pressure that comes with defending a crown, especially in a group that includes Austria and debutant Jordan.

Algeria never found a way to slow Messi once Argentina found space between the lines. Vladimir Petković, the Algeria coach, acknowledged afterward that his side’s mistakes made the hat trick easier and said his team had given Messi too much room. That defensive breakdown defined the match as much as Messi’s finishing did.

Argentina’s opening win was the kind of result that can settle a champion early in a tournament. It gave Messi another place in World Cup history, gave Scaloni a clean start to the campaign and gave Argentina an immediate reminder of why the road back to the final will run through the same composure that carried it to the title two years ago.