The squad directed by Lionel Scaloni secured its first three points of the international tournament through a solid collective display and the outstanding performance of captain Lionel Messi, who scored all three goals.
Messi, who is currently participating in his sixth World Cup, recognized the physical and tactical difficulties presented by the North African opponent during the initial stages of the match.
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From the beginning of the match, the reigning world champion established control over the midfield, with a fluid movement of the ball sustained by Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister, who dictated the tempo of the game.
The defensive line of the North African team resisted until the 16th minute, when the Argentinean Lionel Messi opened the scoreboard with a precise shot, validated by the referee following a comprehensive review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Following this initial goal, Algeria attempted to react by deploying organized counterattacks while maintaining a compact defensive block. However, the South American defenders neutralized the North African offensive transitions with absolute composure, ensuring complete control of the match throughout the first half.
During the second half, the overall dynamic of the game remained favorable to the Argentinean squad. In the 59th minute, the captain capitalized on a short rebound from the Algerian goalkeeper, Luca Zanidane, who had previously blocked a powerful long-range shot from Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentinean footballer forward quickly recovered the ball to execute a precise right-footed strike, establishing a two-to-zero lead on the scoreboard.
The victory was permanently sealed in the 75th minute of the match. After receiving a precise pass from Nicolás González, Messi finished with a left-footed shot against the post to complete his historic hat-trick.
The Historic Milestone
Lionel Messi scores 14 goals in World Cups and is the top scorer in the history of the tournament, surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as the top scorer in Argentina and the 12 goals of Brazilian legend Pelé, but equalling the French Kylian Mbappé.
The figure was built over five FIFA participations, with as many in Germany 2006, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. His first goal came in Germany 2006, in the 6-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro. In South Africa 2010 he did not convert, despite playing the five matches in the competition. His biggest group-stage production came four years later, in Brazil 2014, where he scored four goals: one against Bosnia and Herzegovina, another against Iran and two against Nigeria. In Russia 2018, Messi again converted against Nigeria in the 2-1 win that allowed the Argentinean team to advance to the round of 16.
His top scorer in a World Cup was Qatar 2022, where he scored seven goals and was one of the big figures of the champion team. In that edition, he traded to Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Croatia and France. In the final against the French team, he scored two goals: one penalty in regular time and another in overtime.
In the current World Cup, the Argentinean captain scored 17 minutes after starting his participation in the first match of the group stage.
Following today’s result, Argentina leads Group J and confirms the highly competitive level of South American football at the beginning of this global competition.
The next meeting, corresponding to date 2, is scheduled for June 22 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, United States. In that time, the reigning World Champion will face Austria.
Source: teleSUR English
