Kansas: Led by football legend Lionel Messi and inspired by his sensational performance, Argentina began its FIFA World Cup campaign in style by defeating Algeria 3-0 here today to earn three valuable points.
All three goals for Argentina were scored by Messi. Playing in his record sixth FIFA World Cup, the Argentine superstar registered the first hat-trick of his World Cup career. Messi found the net in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes.
With these three goals, Messi has now drawn level with German great Miroslav Klose as the highest individual goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history. Like Klose, Messi now has a total of 16 World Cup goals.
After completing his hat-trick and virtually sealing Argentina’s victory, Messi was rested in the second half and took a seat on the bench, allowing a young teammate an opportunity to feature in his place.
Argentina eventually secured a comfortable 3-0 win. Algeria’s defenders, forwards and goalkeeper had no answer to Messi’s brilliance. They appeared helpless against his extraordinary skill and creativity. Messi’s magic dominated the match from start to finish.
Argentina still have league-stage matches remaining against Austria and Jordan.
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