On a day superstars went on a goal scoring spree, Argentinian football maestro Lionel Messi's hat-trick lit up one of this World Cup's most spectacular first round matches.
Hours after France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland led their teams to authentic wins in Group I with two goals each, it was Messi who shined brightest of them all as he inspired defending champions Argentina to a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Algeria with his maiden World Cup hat-trick.
Argentina began their Qatar World Cup campaign with a surprise defeat to Saudi Arabia four years ago. But it was a different story in Kansas City stadium for the defending champions on Tuesday as Lionel Messi polished his reputation as one of the game's greatest-ever players with a performance for the ages.
Messi was already making history by taking the field against Algeria for a record sixth World Cup finals appearance, that too, on his 200th game for Argentina. He further added to his legacy by scoring three golden goals to join Germany's Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16.
The 38-year-old Inter Miami striker kicked things off in Group J with a long-range strike in the 17th minute. It was followed up with an opportunistic second goal after the breather, by pouncing on to Mac Allister's rebound and finishing coolly with his right foot. Messi completed his hat-trick with a trademark curling finish from the edge of the area to complete a perfect tournament opener.
"Everything I'm experiencing now is a bonus. I've been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams — or even more than I ever dreamed of achieving — both professionally and personally. Now I'm just enjoying this, being part of a wonderful group, feeling good and being able to enjoy it out on the pitch. This is far more than I could ever have imagined when I was a kid," Messi said after the match.
In the first Group I match, held in New York's New Jersey Stadium, France beat Senegal 3-1. Mbappe got the ball rolling with a brilliant double against Senegal to become France's all-time leading scorer with 58.
In another game in the group, Erling Haaland made a memorable World Cup debut by scoring twice as Norway celebrated their long-awaited return to the global stage with a 4-1 win against Iraq.
In the final match of the day, Austria celebrated their return to the World Cup for the first time since France 1998 with a dogged 3-1 victory over debutants Jordan, who netted their maiden tournament goal.
Wednesday's schedule:
Portugal - Congo DR (Group K)
13:00 ET (Houston)
England - Croatia (Group L)
16:00 (Dallas)
Ghana - Panama (Group L)
19:00 (Toronto)
Uzbekistan - Colombia (Group K)
22:00 (Mexico City)
by Joji Xavier
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