Messi's goal disallowed for offside; Algeria's goal also ruled out

Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: A wait spanning nearly two decades at the World Cup came to an end. After countless records, a World Cup title, numerous goals, and magical performances, Messi finally achieved the first World Cup hat-trick of his career. In a 3–0 victory over Algeria, all three of Argentina's goals came from captain Messi. Argentina played attacking football right from the start and reaped the rewards quickly. In the 17th minute of the first half, Rodrigo de Paul passed the ball to Messi from midfield. Upon receiving the ball, Messi advanced in his signature style and unleashed a powerful shot from about 25 yards out. Although Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane managed to get both hands to the ball, he could not stop the magnificent strike. As the ball found the back of the net, world champions Argentina took the lead. He did not stop after the first goal; in the 60th minute, the Argentine captain put his team 2–0 ahead. The Algerian goalkeeper failed to control a shot taken by Alexis Mac Allister from outside the box.

Messi scored on the rebound, sending the ball into the net. Then came the much-awaited moment. In the 76th minute, Messi received the ball during a rapid counter-attack initiated by Enzo Fernández from midfield. After dribbling past several defenders, the Argentine superstar fired a brilliant left-footed shot from outside the box into the net.

With that, he completed the first hat-trick of his World Cup career. Messi celebrated by raising both hands towards the sky. His teammates rushed to surround him, while chants of "Messi, Messi" echoed throughout the stadium.

This was Messi's sixth World Cup tournament. He made his debut in 2006 in Germany and went on to score in every subsequent tournament—2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026. He led the team to the final in 2014 and secured the World Cup title for Argentina in 2022, ending a 36-year drought. Yet, amidst all this success, he had never scored a hat-trick in the World Cup until now. Messi had previously won the Golden Ball after scoring seven goals in the 2022 World Cup.  Despite scoring crucial goals against Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and France, he had never managed to score three goals in a single match—until now.

Even at the age of 39, Messi continues to prove his greatness on the global stage. This hat-trick against Algeria not only propelled Argentina toward victory but also marked yet another milestone in his record-breaking World Cup career.