Magical Messi sinks Algeria with a hat-trick to equal the all-time goalscoring record

Argentina’s World Cup title defense started with some nervous moments, but Lionel Messi quickly made sure the night was his. The 38-year-old scored his historic 200th appearance for Argentina and a record sixth World Cup with a stunning hat-trick as the reigning champions beat Algeria 3-0 in front of 69,045 fans at the Kansas City Stadium on Tuesday.

Argentina vs Algeria, FIFA World Cup 2026: UPDATES

Messi’s hat-trick took him to 16 goals at the World Cup, equaling German legend Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history. However, Klose has reached the mark in fewer matches. It was also Messi’s first hat-trick at the World Cup and he became the oldest player to score a treble at the tournament, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous record. He also became the oldest player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match.

Argentina were far from comfortable in the opening stages. Messi thought he had given his side the lead in the fifth minute after finishing a quick counter-attack, but Lautaro Martinez was flagged for offside in the play. Algeria almost took advantage moments later and briefly thought they were taking the lead when Fars Xabi found the net, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside.

Offside efforts highlighted the frantic nature of the opening exchanges. Algeria matched Argentina’s intensity and enjoyed possession for long periods, but neither side could find a breakthrough until Messi struck.

In the 17th minute, Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate at Inter Miami, slipped a precise pass through the Algerian defense. With defenders approaching, Messi opened his body and made an unstoppable effort into the top right corner behind Luca Zidane, son of French great Zinedine Zidane.

The goal came exactly 20 years after Messi scored his first World Cup goal against Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June 2006. He also became only the second men’s player after Cristiano Ronaldo to score in five different World Cups.

In a night packed with milestones, Messi also became the first footballer to play in six World Cups. Ronaldo is expected to join him later in the tournament. The Argentina captain is also now the first South American footballer and only the third male player overall to reach 200 international caps.

Messi was lucky to escape punishment midway through the first half for a strong challenge on Algerian defender Aissa Mandi, but Argentina gradually gained more control after the opening goal. Lionel Messi’s historic hat-trick took Argentina past Algeria (Photo Reuters)

Algeria remained competitive and was not surprised by the opportunity. They finished with a similar share of possession to the world champions but struggled to create meaningful openings. Their seven attempts on goal did not produce a single shot on target as Emiliano Martinez enjoyed a relatively quiet evening.

Argentina doubled their lead on the hour mark. Alexis Mac Allister tested Luca Zidane from distance and when the keeper could only parry the effort away, Messi was quickest to convert the rebound from close range.

He got a hat-trick in the 76th minute. Nicolas Gonzalez won possession high up the pitch and fed Messi on the edge of the area. The captain needed little prompting to drive a powerful left-footed finish into the net to complete the first World Cup treble of his career.

These three goals further strengthened Messi’s grip on football history. His World Cup tally now stands at 24, including 16 goals and eight assists, moving him past Pelo’s 21 for the most in the history of the tournament. He also extended his World Cup points streak to five consecutive games, leaving him one shy of the record jointly held by France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.

Messi’s opening goal was also his fifth World Cup strike from outside the penalty area, equaling Brazil’s Rivelli for the most such goals at the tournament over the past six decades. Additionally, the strike was the 911th goal contribution of his senior career for club and country.

For Argentina, the victory meant more than individual milestones. The three-time world champions became the defending champions and won their opening World Cup match for the first time, having lost their first matches in 1982 and 1990 after previously lifting the trophy.

After a winning start to Group J, Argentina will now focus on matches against Austria and Jordan.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

17 Jun 2026 08:38 IST