Messi Matches World Cup Goal Record as Argentina Wins

Lionel Messi opened his record‑breaking sixth World Cup with a hat‑trick, becoming the tournament’s joint all‑time top scorer as Argentina secured a 3‑0 victory over Algeria.

On a memorable night at Kansas City’s 69,045‑seat Arrowhead Stadium, Messi delivered an electrifying performance that tied him with Miroslav Klose at 16 goals in World Cup history.

The 38‑year‑old marked his 200th international appearance by becoming the first player to compete in six World Cups, leading Argentina onto the field for a one‑sided Group J match.

Messi, who first appeared in the 2006 finals in Germany, added the first hat‑trick of his World Cup career. A curling strike in the 17th minute pushed his tally to 14, placing him alongside Gerd Müller and Kylian Mbappé in the all‑time rankings.

He then moved one clear of Müller and Mbappé to join Ronaldo on 15 goals with a rebound from an Alexis Mac Allister shot in the 60th minute, making it 2‑0.

Messi equalised with Klose on 16 goals in the 76th minute, finishing low from the edge of the area before leaving the field to a standing ovation four minutes later.

Messi later downplayed the significance of the milestone: “It’s an honour to be there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose or the others — Ronaldo is there too — but I don’t think it means anything. In the end, it’s just a statistic and nothing more.”

Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final in Doha, winning on penalties after a 3‑3 draw that saw Les Bleus striker Mbappé score a hat‑trick.

– Mbappé off the mark –

France, who could meet Argentina again in the final if seedings follow the form book, opened their tournament with a 3‑1 win over Senegal, with Mbappé scoring twice to suggest he is ready to deliver another big World Cup.

France coach Didier Deschamps said of Mbappé, “There are still people out there who will criticise him but he is an extraordinary player. Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment.”

Mbappé’s double against Senegal also saw him overtake Olivier Giroud as France’s leading goalscorer with 58 goals from 99 games.

Norway’s Erling Haaland marked his first World Cup finals appearance with two goals in a 4‑1 victory over Iraq in France’s Group I.

The Manchester City striker scored from close range in the 29th minute in Foxborough, but Aymen Hussein’s header brought Iraq level before Haaland capitalised on a defensive error to put Norway ahead again before half‑time. He moved his international goals tally to 57 in 51 matches.

Substitute Leo Ostigard headed in a third for Norway and a Hussein own goal in stoppage time secured a third point in their first World Cup appearance since 1998.

Haaland’s debut left Norway coach Stale Solbakken satisfied: “You could see that he adapted to the occasion, the occasion wasn’t too big for him. I had a good feeling before the game. I had quite a comfortable feeling that he would do it for us today.”

In the late game on Tuesday, Austria were given a scare by World Cup debutants Jordan before securing a 3‑1 win in a Group J match at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Romano Schmid fired Austria into the lead with a long‑range strike in the 21st minute, but Ali Olwan scored Jordan’s first ever World Cup goal in the 50th minute to make it 1‑1.

Austria regained the lead in the 76th minute thanks to an own goal from Yazan al‑Arab before Marko Arnautovic added a stoppage‑time penalty to make the game safe.

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