Messi hat-trick equals Klose record as Argentina roll past Algeria 3–0

Messi hat-trick buries Algeria, equals Klose

Your team opened their World Cup defence the way you dreamed. Argentina 3–0 Algeria, and Lionel Messi scored all three (1) (2) (4) (5) (6) (7) (10) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17). The hat-trick puts him level with Miroslav Klose as the all-time top World Cup scorer (1) (4) (17). He is 39, in his sixth World Cup, and your team controlled the night from start to finish.

The stamp controversy

One flashpoint: a first-half stamp by Messi on Algeria's Mandi. Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic did not hold back. "Todo mundo viu, inclusive eu", everyone saw it, including me (6) (8) (12) (16). He called it a clear red. But Brazilian referee analyst PC Oliveira disagreed, saying it was only a yellow card offence: "A entrada foi para cartão amarelo" (16). Referee Szymon Marciniak showed no card at all.

Mac Allister: "You have to build the team around him"

Alexis Mac Allister summed it up after the match: "Hay que armar un equipo para él", you have to build the team around him (3). The 2022 core is still the engine. Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, and Dibu Martínez all started, and the tactical setup looked familiar: compact, patient, built to give Messi the ball in dangerous areas (13).

Messi: "I went through difficult days"

After the hat-trick, Messi opened up in French: "J'ai traversé des jours difficiles", I went through difficult days (9). He did not specify what weighed on him, but the performance did the talking. Antonela Rocuzzo posted simply: "Con vos siempre", with you always (5) (11). Even Erling Haaland, who also scored Tuesday in Norway's win over Iraq, called Messi "um absurdo", an absurdity (15).

Romero shines amid Tottenham exit talk

Cristian Romero played 80 minutes and kept a clean sheet (2). Off the pitch, Tottenham could sell him this summer after a poor season and public disagreements with the club (2). Marcos Senesi came on as his replacement. Brighton's Jean Paul van Hecke and Luka Vuskovic are names linked as possible replacements in North London (2).

What comes next

Austria and Jordan are the other two teams in Group J. Your team is top after matchday one, and the path to the knockout rounds looks clear. The 2022 recipe is intact, and Messi just gave the tournament its defining performance on day one.