Lionel Messi scored his first career World Cup hat trick on Tuesday night, leading defending champion Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their Group Stage opener at Kansas City Stadium.
The performance tied Messi with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the tournament's all-time scoring record with 16 career goals.
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It came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro.
Match Highlights
Messi opened the scoring within the first few minutes off a pass from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
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He added his second goal early in the second half and completed the hat trick shortly before being substituted.
The victory gave Argentina a stronger start than their 2022 campaign in Qatar, where they lost their opening match to Saudi Arabia before rebounding to win the tournament.
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Matchday 6 of the tournament also featured France defeating Senegal, Norway beating Iraq, and a scheduled fixture between Austria and Jordan.
