06/16/26 11:11:00
Printable Page
06/16 23:09 CDT Messi has his first World Cup hat trick as defending champion
Argentina beats Algeria 3-0 in opener
Messi has his first World Cup hat trick as defending champion Argentina beats
Algeria 3-0 in opener
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- Lionel Messi registered his first World Cup hat trick
while moving into a tie for first on the tournament's career scoring list
Tuesday night, sending defending champion Argentina to a dominant 3-0 victory
over Algeria in its group-stage opener.
Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes on a nice feed from Inter
Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second on a rebound early in the second
half. Shortly after he got his third on a strike from the top of the penalty
box, he subbed out to a standing ovation from a heavily pro-Argentina crowd.
The trio of goals gave him 16 for his career, putting him in a tie with
Germany's Miroslav Klose for the career record. They also allowed him to join
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have scored in five World
Cups.
"The first matches at the World Cup are always tough," Messi said after playing
in the tournament for a record-setting sixth time, "and we're seeing that
nobody's giving anything away."
Well, almost nothing. Algeria made some crucial mistakes on the first two of
Messi's goals, which came 20 years to the day that he made his World Cup debut
for Argentina in a match against Serbia and Montenegro --- he scored in that
one, too.
"We're not talking about any old footballer," Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic
said. "Unfortunately we also afford him the opportunity with the first and
second goal, and we actually made it easier for him. But Messi, with his clear
thinking in crucial stages of the game, is able to do things that much more
easily."
Messi's brilliant hat trick helped Argentina get off to a much better start
than its last World Cup. Four years ago, La Albiceleste were beaten by Saudi
Arabia in their opening match in Qatar, only to rally from there to win their
third world title.
"The first match is always tricky," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "We
had stumbled in the last World Cup and we needed to have a good debut today."
Messi, who turns 39 next week, nearly had two other goals against Algeria,
never once looking like the mild hamstring injury that worried fans in the
run-up to the tournament was a problem. One found the back of the net but was
called back because he was ever-so-slightly offside, and another strike in the
second half just cleared the crossbar.
He was a pest on defense, too, helping Argentina lock down the overmatched Les
Fennecs.
"Argentina have a special player who can change a game on his own," Algeria
star Riyad Mahrez said.
Algeria's best chance came in the opening minutes, when Fares Chaibi's would-be
goal was taken away by a VAR review that showed he was offside. Messi scored
moments later, and the rest of the night belonged to him and Argentina.
"I like playing soccer. It's been my passion since I was little," Messi said.
"When I'm in good shape, I give it my all."
The game played at Arrowhead Stadium fulfilled the longtime dream of the late
Lamar Hunt, who not only founded the NFL franchise that calls it home, but who
was instrumental in the growth of soccer in the U.S. from the 1960s through the
early 2000s.
Hunt played a big role in the U.S. hosting the 1994 World Cup. His sons, Clark
and Dan, are doing likewise with this edition.
Among those in the crowd on a picture-perfect night in the Heartland were
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who traded in his usual red-and-yellow
football uniform for a blue sweatsuit and white shirt, and his wife, Brittany.
Argentina will continue its pursuit of back-to-back titles in Arlington, Texas,
when it plays Austria on Monday and Jordan on June 27. Algeria plays Jordan on
Monday in Santa Clara, California, before facing Austria in its Group J finale
on June 27 in Kansas City.
"The goal," De Paul said, "is always to arrive on the first day and leave on
the last."
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
|
