Lionel Messi hails ‘beautiful moment’ after equalling World Cup goals record
Argentina’s global superstar becomes oldest player to score tournament hat-trick as defending champions get off to a strong start in Group J
Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick and equalled the tournament’s scoring record on a night of personal landmarks, as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday.
The world’s best player drew level with German striker Miroslav Klose at the top of the goal charts with 16, less than two hours after France’s Kylian Mbappe had briefly overtaken him with a double in his side’s 3-1 win Senegal.
Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, sits second on the list with 15, while Mbappe is tied with West Germany’s Gerd Muller on 14.
“To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment,” Messi said afterwards. “I’m happy.”
Messi’s first set the tone for the evening. A stunning effort from outside the box in the 17th minute found the upper right corner, despite Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane getting a fingertip to the ball.
Argentina’s lead doubled on the hour mark when Messi tapped in the rebound of a shot by Alexis Mac Allister, and the little magician wrapped up his night with a left-foot finish in the 76th minute.