KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Argentina opened the defense of its FIFA World Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Algeria on Tuesday, powered by a Lionel Messi hat-trick that drew him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in men’s World Cup history, according to FIFA match records and tournament reports.
Messi scored all three goals in Argentina’s Group J opener at Kansas City Stadium, taking his World Cup tally to 16 goals. The Argentina captain, appearing in a record sixth World Cup and making his 200th international appearance, struck in the first half before adding two more after the break to secure a comfortable victory for the defending champions.
The result placed Argentina in a strong early position in the group stage, while Algeria was left seeking points in its remaining matches against Jordan and Austria, according to the tournament schedule.
Messi’s performance also marked the first World Cup hat-trick of his career and made him the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the tournament, according to match reports. The achievement came nearly two decades after his first World Cup goal for Argentina.
Argentina controlled much of the match, creating the majority of the scoring opportunities. An early goal by Messi was ruled out for offside, while Algeria also saw a first-half effort disallowed, according to match reports. Messi eventually opened the scoring in the 17th minute before adding further goals in the second half as Argentina extended its advantage.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni praised his captain after the match. “Incredible,” Scaloni said, according to post-match comments reported by media covering the tournament.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic acknowledged his side’s mistakes contributed to the outcome. “We gave Messi too much freedom,” Petkovic said after the match, according to Reuters. He said Algeria would focus on learning from the defeat and preparing for its remaining group-stage fixtures.
The match attracted additional attention because it marked another milestone in Messi’s international career. Tournament organizers said he became the first player to appear in six World Cups, extending a career that began at the competition in 2006.
Argentina next faces Austria in Group J, while Algeria will seek its first points of the tournament against Jordan. As of Tuesday night, Messi shared the men’s World Cup scoring record with Klose on 16 goals.
