Messi starts World Cup with a hat-trick!

The excitement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup began with the first match of Group J. South American representative Argentina faced one of Africa's strong teams, Algeria, in their first test of the tournament. Although both teams started the match at a high tempo and found the back of the net in the opening minutes, these goals were disallowed due to offside.

The goals by Messi for Argentina in the 6th minute and Chaibi for Algeria in the 8th minute were not counted.

Lionel Messi, meeting the ball outside the penalty area from a pass by Rodrigo de Paul, scored a stylish goal in the 17th minute to open the scoring for Argentina. While Argentina maintained control of the game for the remainder of the first half, Algeria sought an equalizer through quick counterattacks. In the 40th minute, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez denied a shot by Algeria's Bentaleb, and the half ended with Argentina leading 1-0.

Argentina continued without dropping the tempo in the second half. Following up well on a ball spilled by the goalkeeper, Messi scored his team's second and his own second goal in the 60th minute. In the 76th minute of the match, Messi took the stage once again to complete his hat-trick and score the final goal of the game. With this goal, the Argentine footballer increased his total goal count in the FIFA World Cup to 16, tying Miroslav Klose's record.

The star player, who left his mark on the match, was substituted for Nico Paz in the 80th minute to a standing ovation from the stands. Algeria's efforts in the remaining minutes did not yield results, and Argentina began their 2026 World Cup journey with a clear three-goal victory.

News Source: 12punto