Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
Argentina star Lionel Messi produced a historic performance on Wednesday by scoring the first FIFA World Cup hat-trick of his career. The three-goal display was also the first hat-trick of the ongoing tournament and came on a special date, marking the anniversary of his World Cup debut on June 17, 2006.
The 38-year-old forward found the net in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes before being substituted after 78 minutes. Inspired by Messi’s brilliance, Argentina secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria in their Group J clash at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
The hat-trick took Messi’s tally of international hat-tricks to 11 and lifted Argentina to the top of the Group J standings. Argentina will next face Austria on June 22, while Algeria are set to take on Jordan in their upcoming group fixture.
With his three goals, Messi also equalled the record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tournament tally to 16. Before the match, he had 13 World Cup goals and was three behind German legend Miroslav Klose’s record of 16.
Messi also became only the second footballer in history to score in five different FIFA World Cups, joining Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in achieving the remarkable milestone.
