{"id":2000115967,"date":"2026-06-17T08:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T06:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000115967"},"modified":"2026-06-17T08:07:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T06:07:49","slug":"messis-first-world-cup-hat-trick-seals-argentina-victory-over-algeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/messis-first-world-cup-hat-trick-seals-argentina-victory-over-algeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi’s first World Cup hat-trick seals Argentina victory over Algeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The reigning champions began their title defence in style, with Messi marking his record sixth World Cup appearance by delivering a masterclass that also saw him become the joint-highest goalscorer in men\u2019s World Cup history with 16 goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argentina thought they had struck early when Messi found the net in the eighth minute, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. The setback was brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moments later, the 38-year-old broke the deadlock with a trademark solo effort, weaving past defenders before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike from the edge of the box that left Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane helpless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against Algeria in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match at Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, US, June 16, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Algeria, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners, briefly threatened when Fares Chaibi had a ninth-minute effort disallowed for offside, but they rarely troubled Argentina thereafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the break, Messi doubled his tally in the 60th minute, reacting quickest to a rebound after Alexis Mac Allister\u2019s effort was parried by Zidane, tapping home from close range to extend Argentina\u2019s control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crowning moment came in the 76th minute when Messi curled a precise low finish from just outside the area into the bottom corner, completing his first-ever World Cup hat-trick and sending the crowd into celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, US, June 16, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He was substituted shortly after to a standing ovation, with Argentina comfortably managing the closing stages. The result ensured a smooth start to their campaign, especially after their shock opening defeat in the previous World Cup in Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The match also underlined Messi\u2019s longevity, as he reached 200 international appearances dating back to his debut in 2005. It was a night that reinforced his enduring influence on the global stage, even as he continues his career with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 scored twice as France beat Senegal 3-1, while Erling Haaland also struck twice in Norway\u2019s 4-1 win over Iraq, but it was Messi\u2019s record-breaking display that stole the spotlight as Argentina began their quest to retain the World Cup crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Messi\u2019s appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 scored twice as France beat Senegal 3-1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Erling Haaland also struck twice in Norway\u2019s 4-1 win over Iraq.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi produced a historic performance in Kansas City as his first World Cup hat-trick powered Argentina to a commanding 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening match of the 2026 tournament on Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000115971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[151],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000115967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-editors-choice","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000115971,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":770,"height":513,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T012417Z_514006236_UP1EM6H03WFV5_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ARG-DZA-1781659551.jpg","width":770,"height":513}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000115967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000115974,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115967\/revisions\/2000115974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000115971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000115967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000115967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000115967"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000115967"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000115967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}