It was a nervy opening 15 minutes for Argentina. Ironically, it wasn't the first time Messi finished past Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, but Argentina's largely well-executed counterattack was wiped away in the fifth minute after a poorly timed pass from Lautaro Martinez left him offside. Moments later, Algeria nearly made Argentina pay.
The Fennecs broke the other way, with Farès Chaïbi running onto a pass from Ibrahim Maza before finishing past a stunned Emiliano Martinez. But Algeria's celebrations were short-lived, too, as VAR determined Chaïbi had also strayed offside in the eighth minute. After two early warnings, both teams kept probing, searching for the space that would finally count.
"They did everything they could. They reacted wonderfully in the first half," Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said through a translator.
Then Messi decided to take over.
Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's Inter Miami teammate, sliced a through ball between two Algerian defenders to find the forward in stride. As two more defenders closed in, Messi opened up and launched his shot into the top-right corner. Argentina led 1-0. In the process, the veteran magician added several more milestones to his remarkable résumé.
"It’s hard to explain. We’re amazed with him still, though we get to see him every day," Scaloni said.
Even Algeria's manager, Vladimir Petković, spent a moment acknowledging Messi's brilliance despite stressing that his team played better than the result indicated.
"Class is permanent," he said. "We’re not talking about any old footballer. He’s got eight Ballon D'Ors. Unfortunately, we also afforded him an opportunity with the first and second goals. He’s got the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him. Argentina had 10 shots, seven of which came from Messi. "
It was Messi's fifth World Cup with a goal, coming on the 20th anniversary of his first World Cup goal. He and De Paul also became just the fifth set of MLS players to assist each other on a World Cup goal, according to Opta. The others were all USMNT players. It was also the 911th goal of Messi's career for club and country, and one that will stand out among the rest.
"He’s been the best for 20 years. You don’t have to be an Argentine fan to admire what he’s done at 38 years old," Scaloni said.
His onslaught continued in the second half. Alexis Mac Allister launched a long-range shot that was blocked by Zidane, but Messi was there to pounce on the rebound. Messi completed his first World Cup hat trick thanks to a timely pass from Nicolas Gonzalez in the box, with the Argentine finishing cleanly with his left foot.
Despite Algeria largely matching Argentina in possession, their attack couldn't get going. They had seven shots, but none on target.
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