Argentina 3-0 Algeria: Messi's first World Cup hat-trick ties the Klose record

Argentina opened their Group J campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium — branded Kansas City Stadium for the tournament — in Kansas City. The night belonged to one man: Lionel Messi scored all three goals to register the first World Cup hat-trick of his career.

The game took a few minutes to settle, and both sides had an early goal chalked off for offside. Messi thought he had opened the scoring around the fifth minute before the flag went up, and Algeria's Fares Chaibi had a strike disallowed minutes later.

Messi breaks the deadlock (17')

The breakthrough arrived in the 17th minute, and it was Messi who supplied it — finishing to put Argentina ahead and settle any early nerves. Algeria reorganised and kept the deficit at one until the break, but Argentina carried the threat into the second half.

Messi makes it two and three (60', 76')

Messi struck again just after the hour, doubling Argentina's lead in the 60th minute. He completed his hat-trick in the 76th, a third goal that put the result beyond doubt and sent the Kansas City crowd into raptures. There were no cards or penalties in the match — a clean, controlled performance to match the scoreline.

A record equalled

The hat-trick carried extra weight: it lifted Messi to 16 career World Cup goals, drawing him level with Miroslav Klose's all-time men's World Cup scoring record. It was also, remarkably, Messi's first hat-trick at a World Cup — arriving in his sixth tournament.

What it means for Group J

The win sends Argentina top of Group J on three points after matchday one, while Algeria sit bottom on zero. With Austria and Jordan completing the group, Argentina have made an early statement and put the onus on the rest to chase. Algeria, by contrast, will need a response in their next outing to keep their qualification hopes on track. Revisit the game on the match page or see the full schedule at matches.