Argentina went off to the races in their quest to defend their FIFA World Cup crown. And as per usual, it was their talisman Lionel Messi who got the ball rolling for the reigning champions. Messi opened the scoring in their first group stage game on Tuesday against Algeria by uncorking a masterful strike from long range, rippling the net and giving Argentina a 1-0 lead.
A 1-0 lead, however, is far from safe. Algeria has the quality to make a comeback, so Argentina kept pressing forward for a second goal to give them a more comfortable cushion. They got the breakthrough with a third of the second half having passed — with Messi tapping in a rebound after a weak parry from Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
LIONEL MESSI SLOTS HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME
Argentina take a 2-0 lead over Algeria! pic.twitter.com/g4ZSXCbh87
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 17, 2026
Just over 16 minutes of game time later, Messi added even more to their advantage, with Argentina capitalizing on a bit of a counterattacking opportunity. Messi curled a ball towards the far corner with his brilliant left foot, giving Argentina a 3-0 advantage to surely wrap up the victory against Algeria. He keeps on adding to his legacy with a hat trick, priming Argentina for another excellent run in the World Cup.
MESSI. HAT TRICK. ARGENTINA UP 3-0. pic.twitter.com/J7x0P2kXpG
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 17, 2026
In fact, he’s now tied for the all-time lead for most goals scored (16) in FIFA World Cup history, tying Germany’s Miroslav Klose. In all likelihood, Messi is going to surpass him by the end of this year’s competition.
This was also Messi’s first-ever hat trick in the World Cup, as mentioned in the FOX broadcast, and it was 20 years to this day when he opened his goalscoring account in the prestigious competition.
Argentina is far and away the favorite to win Group J, with games against Austria and Jordan on the horizon. Messi, perhaps, has grown accustomed to the pitches stateside that his brilliance continues to shine even though he’s another World Cup cycle older. And considering how battle-tested this core is, they are certainly among the favorites to reach the mountaintop once more.
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