Messi Equals World Cup Scoring Record with Hat-Trick in Argentina Win
The treble against Algeria took him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 goals in his 200th Argentina appearance.
Lionel Messi delivered a historic performance as Argentina began the defence of their World Cup crown with a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria.
Making his 200th appearance for Argentina, the 38-year-old scored a hat-trick to guide the reigning champions to all three points in their opening Group J fixture.
Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a brilliant curling effort before doubling Argentina’s lead shortly after the break, capitalising on a mistake from goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
The Argentine captain completed his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in the 76th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the area, sealing a memorable night for his side.
The treble took Messi’s World Cup goals tally to 16, drawing him level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose as the competition’s all-time leading scorer, while also becoming the first player to appear in six World Cups.
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