Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick as Argentina eased past Algeria in Group J, and the result sharpened the picture around Jordan national football team vs Algeria national football team standings. He also moved level with Miroslav Klose on 16 men's World Cup goals, a mark that ties him for the top of the scoring chart.
Lionel Messi and Algeria
Messi scored all three of Argentina's goals. That made him the first man to play at six World Cups, and it gave Argentina the kind of margin that turns a group match into a statement rather than a scramble.
Algeria entered this match with a shape built around a 4-3-3. Riyad Mahrez worked on the right wing, Mohamed Amoura could lead the line or drift left, and the side leaned on passing combinations in wide areas and crosses to create chances.
Riyad Mahrez and Vladimir Petkovic
Mahrez, now 35, has won trophies with Leicester City, Manchester City and Al Ahli, and he remains the clearest reference point in Algeria's attack. Vladimir Petkovic has managed Algeria since 2024 and took them to a first World Cup since 2014, after also reaching the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with them.
That record sits alongside a more mixed run than the win totals suggest. Algeria won eight of their 10 World Cup qualifying matches and scored 24 goals while conceding eight, but they lost at home to Guinea, drew in Guinea, and were eliminated by Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Algeria in Group J
The group picture still points to Algeria being able to get out of Group J, but Austria and Jordan are difficult opponents. That leaves this result as both a warning and a benchmark: Algeria can still advance, but they were already shown the cost of any lapse against a front line with Messi in this kind of form.
