Lionel Messi made history with first World Cup hat-trick, equaling Miroslav Klose’s record for all goals scored

ByTech Word News

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal. (AP photo) Lionel Messi added another extraordinary chapter to his storied career when he scored his first ever World Cup hat-trick to lead defending champions Argentina to an impressive 3-0 victory over Algeria to move level with Germany legend Miroslav Klos at the top of the tournament’s all-time charts.The 38-year-old struck once in the first half, added a simple tap-in shortly after the restart and completed his treble in the 76th minute with a trademark finish to send the thousands of Argentina fans packed into Arrowhead Stadium into delirium.It was the 61st hat-trick of Messi’s illustrious career and his 11th for Argentina, but remarkably his first on football’s biggest stage. The treble also extended his point streak to five consecutive World Cup games.

Twenty years after the debut, another milestone

The magical evening came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany in 2006, a match in which he also found the net.The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became only the second player after Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo to score in five different World Cups after making his 200th appearance for Argentina.More importantly, his hat-trick took him to 16 goals at the World Cup, equaling Klose’s long-standing record. With Argentina’s title defense still a few games away, the prospect of Messi becoming the all-time record holder seems increasingly inevitable.

Mbappe and Haaland performed

Messi’s heroics overshadowed the impressive performances of two of football’s biggest stars earlier in the day.France forward Kylian Mbappe scored twice in Les Bleus’ 3-1 win over Senegal to move to 14 World Cup goals, as did West Germany great Gerd Muller to fourth on the all-time record.Norway’s Erling Haaland also netted a boost in an emphatic 4-1 win over Iraq, but the night ultimately belonged to the Argentine icon.

Messi-mania takes over Kansas City

Argentina’s arrival in Kansas City sparked a wave of “Messimania,” and the atmosphere around Arrowhead Stadium reflected the adoration reserved for one of the sport’s greatest figures.Wearing the iconic number 10 jersey, thousands of fans turned the home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs into a sea of ​​blue and white and sang tributes to their hero from Rosario.