Jorge Messi scored all three goals as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, and he moved level with the World Cup career scoring record at 16 goals.
Lionel Messi's Three-Goal Night
Messi’s hat trick was his first at a World Cup and the strike that tied him with Miroslav Klose at 16 World Cup goals. He opened the scoring in the opening minutes, converted a rebound shortly after halftime for his second, and added a third moments before he was subbed off to a standing ovation.
Argentina Tops Group J
Argentina now leads Group J on goal difference, with Austria directly behind after Austria beat Jordan 3-1 earlier yesterday. The 3-0 result gives Argentina the clearer margin-of-victory advantage at the top of the pool.
Miroslav Klose and the Record
Last night’s hat trick was the 61st of Messi’s career and pushed him onto the same 16-goal total as Germany’s Miroslav Klose. Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro and becomes the first player to appear at six World Cups, a longevity milestone that now pairs with the scoring milestone.
Messi had recently recovered from a hamstring injury, which had raised questions about whether he could still produce at this level and help Argentina defend the title. He will celebrate his 39th birthday next week, an age at which few forwards deliver single-match outputs of three goals at this tournament.
Messi left the pitch to a standing ovation, his three-goal night delivering a clear outcome: Argentina with a win, a group lead and a tied all-time scoring record. That standing ovation framed both the immediate emotion and the longer story — a player extending a career across six World Cups and into the record books.
