Messi Gets First World Cup Hat Trick Victory Over Algeria

Global soccer icon Lionel Messi secured his first-ever World Cup hat-trick when he returned to the global stage to lead Argentina to a 3–0 victory over Algeria on June 16.

Starting off by launching the ball to the back of the net from the top of the penalty box 17 minutes into the game, thanks to a pass from his Inter-Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, Messi found the net twice again in the second half, continuing to best Algerian goalkeeper Lucas Zidane, son of France’s star player from its 1998 World Cup championship Zinedine Zidane. 

Messi then rushed the net, caught a rebound as it bounced off Zidane, and chipped it behind the goal line at the 60-minute mark. His third goal came 16 minutes later as he got a chance to charge down the middle of the field and sail the ball past a diving Zidane.

The Argentine legend earned his first-ever hat trick in a World Cup match. The game marked his sixth World Cup appearance, record 27th World Cup match appearance, and 200th overall international appearance with his national team. The 38-year-old has now scored 120 goals for Argentina.

He was pulled from the match 79 minutes in, having tied the all-time record of 16 career World Cup goals, and becoming the second player ever to score a goal in five separate World Cup tournaments. As he passed off the captain’s armband and took a seat on the bench, Messi received a standing ovation from the dominantly pro-Argentina crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The rest of his team would hold off what was left of Algeria’s offense through stoppage time, earning goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez his first clean sheet of the tournament.

Messi’s three-goal game caps off a full day of multi-goal soccer star power. It started with Kylian Mbappé scoring two goals for France in their opening game against Senegal outside New York City at 3 p.m. ET. France went on to win the game 3–1, with a third goal coming from Bradley Barcola by the 82nd minute of play, but they were robbed of a shutout as Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye was able to finally find the back of the net in the 95th minute of play.

Then, Norway’s rising superstar Erling Haaland got his first-ever World Cup goal in the 29th minute of a match against Iraq in Boston. He got a second one 14 minutes later, just before the end of the first half. Norway won 4–1 with a goal from Leo Østigard at 76 minutes, and an own-goal from Iraq’s Aymen Hussein in the 96th minute of play sealed the match at 4–1.

Argentina’s next match will be against Austria at 1 p.m. on June 22 in Dallas. Austria was set to play its opening match at midnight on June 17 against Jordan.

France and Iraq will face off in Philadelphia at 5 p.m. on June 22, and Norway will play Senegal outside New York City at 8 p.m.

The soccer star power streak looks to continue into June 17 when Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the World Cup with Portugal in their opening match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston at 1 p.m.