Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, equalled Miroslav Klose’s record as the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after scoring a hat-trick in his side’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening Group J match on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old struck three times at the Kansas City Stadium to take his World Cup tally to 16 goals, drawing level with former Germany striker, Klose at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring chart.
The victory also gave the reigning champions a winning start to their title defence and ended Argentina’s wait for an opening-match victory as defending champions, having previously lost their first games in the 1982 and 1990 tournaments.
The milestone came on another landmark occasion for Messi, who made his 200th appearance for Argentina and became the first footballer to feature in six FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Argentina dominated possession in the early stages but had an effort ruled out before Algeria also saw a goal disallowed moments later.
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Messi eventually broke the deadlock in the 17th minute after receiving a pass from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul before curling a left-footed effort beyond goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of France legend Zinedine Zidane.
The goal came in Messi’s 27th World Cup appearance and exactly 20 years after he scored his first goal at the tournament against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
Despite controlling much of the contest, Argentina had to wait until the second half to extend their lead.
Messi capitalised on a mistake by Zidane shortly after the hour mark to score his second before completing the first World Cup hat-trick of his career in the 76th minute, firing home from the edge of the penalty area after collecting a pass from Nicolas Gonzalez.
The treble also made Messi the oldest player to score a hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup, adding another milestone to his international career.
Algeria remained competitive throughout the contest and briefly believed they had taken the lead early in the game before their effort was ruled out.
Argentina also survived a scare midway through the opening half when Messi escaped punishment after a challenge on Algeria defender Aissa Mandi.
However, Lionel Scaloni’s side maintained control after the interval and converted their superiority into goals to secure maximum points.
The result puts Argentina in a strong position in Group J as they continue their quest to become only the third nation to retain the FIFA World Cup title.
Messi’s latest performance also strengthened expectations that he could move clear of Klose before the group stage concludes, with Argentina set to face Austria and Jordan in their remaining group matches.
After matching the World Cup scoring record, the Argentine captain will now have another opportunity to become the tournament’s outright leading scorer when Argentina return to action against Austria.
