Lionel Messi Hat Trick Leads Argentina Past Algeria in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — World champions, same old story. Different World Cup, different continent, but Argentina’s opening statement was delivered by the same left foot that has defined an era.
At 38, Lionel Messi walked into Arrowhead Stadium carrying a title to defend and a record to chase. He walked off with both intact and one of them matched, his three-goal masterclass driving Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria and pulling him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals.
The stadium knew what it was watching. By the end, everyone was on their feet.
No repeat of 2022 jitters
Argentina arrived with the scars of 2022 still fresh in memory. Back then, an opening stumble against Saudi Arabia sent shockwaves through their campaign before they steadied themselves and went all the way.
There was no such drama this time.
From the first whistle, Lionel Scaloni’s side played like a team intent on shutting the door on any upset talk. They pressed high, snapped into tackles, and moved the ball with a sharpness that left Algeria mostly chasing shadows.
The breakthrough felt inevitable. It still took a moment of Messi brilliance to unlock it.
Seventeen minutes in, Messi dropped into the pocket, linked crisply with Rodrigo De Paul and, with a yard of space and a split second to decide, he did what he has done for nearly two decades. One touch to set, one swing of that left foot, and the ball screamed from outside the box into the top corner. Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine, flew, but never stood a chance.
Argentina had their lead. Messi had his first of the night. The tone was set.
Pressure mounts, chances fall
Once ahead, Argentina pushed for daylight.
Thiago Almada darted into pockets and should have doubled the advantage before the break, but his finish lacked the conviction of his movement. Lautaro Martínez bullied his way into shooting positions and forced Zidane into a strong save, the young goalkeeper doing enough to keep Algeria alive, at least on the scoreboard.
Algeria struggled to string passes together. When they did break out, Argentina’s back line snuffed out danger quickly, turning every loose ball into another wave of sky blue and white.
The sense grew that one more goal would end it. Argentina kept knocking. Algeria held on, just.
Messi chases history
The second half began with the same pattern: Argentina dictating, Algeria retreating, the match played almost entirely in one half.
The pressure finally told shortly after the hour.
Alexis Mac Allister burst into the box and fired low, drawing a smart stop from Zidane. The rebound spilled into dangerous territory, and Messi, alive to every half-chance, arrived first. One touch, one finish. Routine for him, ruthless for everyone else.
Goal number two on the night. Goal number 16 in his World Cup career. Klose’s once-lofty mark now shared.
Arrowhead rose again, not just in celebration, but in recognition. They knew they were watching a record book being rewritten in real time.
Messi nearly had the record to himself minutes later. Slipped through on goal, he faced Zidane one-on-one, sized up the angles, and went for the kill. Zidane stood tall and blocked, a rare victory in a personal duel he mostly lost. Messi then went down under contact in the box, appealing for a penalty, but the referee waved play on.
For a brief spell, Algeria could breathe. Only briefly.
The hat trick, the ovation
With 76 minutes gone, the inevitable arrived.
Nicolás González threaded a pass into Messi’s stride. No backlift drama, no thunderbolt this time. Just a cold, precise finish, a low shot rolled into the corner, out of Zidane’s reach and into the record conversation forever.
Hat trick complete. Argentina 3, Algeria done.
By then, the contest had turned into a showcase. Argentina knocked the ball around with the swagger of a side fully in control, conserving energy, protecting the clean sheet, and letting the moment sink in.
When Messi’s number finally went up on the fourth official’s board late on, Arrowhead responded as if saluting a hometown legend. A full standing ovation, phones raised, applause rolling around the stadium for a player who has made the extraordinary feel almost routine.
He jogged off with the match ball and a share of a World Cup record that once looked unreachable.
Group J awaits the next chapter
Argentina’s job in Kansas City was simple: avoid drama, take three points, and let their captain chase history on his own terms. Mission accomplished.
Algeria never found a way to truly test the defending champions. Argentina, by contrast, looked like a side already locked into tournament mode, their leader still dictating everything that matters in the final third.
Next up in Group J: Austria and Jordan. More minutes, more jeopardy, and, for Messi, more chances.
The record is now within a single strike. The only real question is not if he breaks it, but how spectacularly he chooses to do it.
