A magical hat trick from Lionel Messi: Argentina defeats Algeria

It's Lionel Messi's world, and we all still live in it. At the age of 38, in his sixth World Cup, he scored a hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City, equaling the same number of goals as Men's World Cup record scorer Miroslav Klose. After such an impressive display from the defending champions, no one would bet that Messi won't be able to add to his 16 World Cup goals tally as the tournament progresses. Jack Lang and Oliver Kay highlight the key talking points... Lionel Messi is probably the last player who could be described as an unknown. Still, there were some doubts in the weeks leading up to his sixth World Cup. How fit would he be? Would he be a sure starter for Argentina? With his 39th birthday approaching, would he have the energy and drive to dominate games at this level? It only took 45 minutes to make all of these questions seem profoundly stupid. After four minutes, Messi was already in his own defensive third to win the ball back. A little later he pursued the Algerian defenders. Age? Just a number, amigo. As fit and determined as he had been in a long time, he replaced the walking of the last few years with something much more urgent. On the ball he was as determined as ever. He fired a shot past Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane but was denied by a late one

n offside decision stopped. He combined with Thiago Almada and Rodrigo De Paul, rattling the Algerian defense. Then the first goal came. Messi, Mbappe and Haaland created a spectacle | World Cup Daily Report Megan Feringa and Amitai Winehouse Surely Zidane should have done better in finishing. But if you look at the start of the attack, you can see Messi making his way in midfield, the architect and the executor in one moment. MESSI SCORES ARGENTINA'S FIRST GOAL AT THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇦🇷 There was even more in the second round. Messi played a beautiful pass that led to a chance for Lautaro Martinez, and in the 60th minute he scored his second goal after a goalkeeping error. IT'S A LIONEL MESSI DOUBLE PACK AT THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! Then came the final highlight, a typical finish that he curled into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area. FIFA WORLD CUP HAT TRICK FOR MESSI! Lionel Messi ties Miroslav Klose for the most goals in Men's World Cup history, 16. Verdict? Put aside the doubts. We still live in Messi's world. Brilliant and unstoppable as he is, there have been a number of occasions throughout his illustrious career when opponents - and certainly opposing fans - have suggested that Messi received "special encouragement" from the referee. What is certain is that he was between his first and

second goal against Algeria was lucky. A foul on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi, hit in the right shin and Achilles tendon by Messi, could have resulted in at least a yellow card — and plausibly a red card as well — but Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was content to just award a free kick. It was a strange incident. Mandi controlled the ball, didn't advance quickly, and there was little chance of dispossessing it from Messi's position. Such a lung with open studs seemed incomprehensible, not to mention dangerous. Special treatment? At least it was a lenient referee. A yellow card might have been the most expected result — a red card would be a close second — but Messi was certainly lucky to escape with a black eye. Who is Luca Zidane? It's never easy following in your father's footsteps. Especially when your old man is one of the best footballers of all time. Luca Zidane has indeed managed to carve out a decent career. He was good enough to play for Real Madrid and made a solid name for himself at less prominent clubs in Spain. It probably helped that he decided to become a goalkeeper; Any comparisons to his father, French legend Zinedine, begin and end with physical similarities. Zidane Jr., 28 years old, played for France at youth level

. He only moved to Algeria last year. His performances at the Africa Cup of Nations helped convince fans that it was not a PR ploy by coach Vladimir Petkovic. Here, however, in his World Cup debut, he had a night to forget while wearing a mask after breaking his jaw in the spring. Messi's first goal wobbled a little in the air, but he still should have had a stronger hand on it. And the second was a clear mistake. The third? He hardly had a chance. Let's hope the great Zizou gives him some words of comfort in the coming days. How good did Argentina look? This is the third time Argentina have gone into the World Cup as defending champions — and the first time they haven't lost their first game as defending champions. Traumatic defeats for Argentina against Belgium in 1982 and Cameroon in 1990 are part of a broader trend that also includes famous defeats for France (against Senegal in 2002), Spain (against the Netherlands in 2014) and Germany (against Mexico in 2018). In four of the six previous tournaments this century, the defending champions were eliminated in the group stage. However, with a comfortable win over Algeria, Argentina have already taken a significant step towards the knockout stages, with games against Austria and Jordan still to come. In a tournament where some of the favorites, particularly Brazil and Spain,

After getting off to an unconvincing start, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will be very happy with his team's opening performance. If there are questions about Messi's possible overload, they will not bother him any more than they did at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. When are they playing next? Group J, Monday 22 June Argentina vs Austria: 7pm CET (7pm ET, 6am BST), Dallas Algeria vs Jordan: 11pm CET (11pm ET, 4am+1 BST), San Francisco If Argentina or Algeria win the group, they will face the runners-up from Group H in the first knockout game on July 3 in Miami. If they finish second, they will meet in Los Angeles on July 2 on the group winner from Group H. Should they advance in third place, they would face a group winner from Group B, D, G, K or L in Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver.