Lionel Messi Ignites Frenzy! Turns Opening Match into His Own Show, Destroys Opponent with Hat-Trick

The opening minutes of the match were cautious, with Argentina gradually building possession. However, a foul by Enzo Fernández in the center circle halted play in just the first minute. Two minutes later, Algerian defender Bensebaini launched a long ball, which goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez calmly collected. The first moment of excitement arrived in the 5th minute when Lionel Messi received an excellent pass into the right side of the penalty area. Although he found the net, his goal was disallowed for a tight offside call. In the same minute, de Paul attempted to quicken the play, but Algerian center-back Mándí blocked his effort. Two minutes later, Mándí intervened again, this time thwarting Messi's attempt to set up de Paul. A shock for the favorites came in the 8th minute when Faris Chaïbi took possession on the left side of the box and unleashed a fierce shot past Martínez, hitting the post. However, the Algerians' celebration was premature as VAR revealed a tight offside, disallowing the goal. Despite this, the African team continued their spirited performance, and in the 12th minute, Ait-Nouri was fouled by Medina, leading to an Algerian set-piece. Vladimír Petković's side caused significant problems for the favorites with their high press, pushing deep into Argentina's half. After a brief lull in play, the South Americans struck in the 17th minute. Lionel Messi received the ball in the attacking half, set himself up, and with a beautiful strike, put Argentina in the lead. The goal brought a sense of calm to the reigning champions, with goalkeeper Martínez involving the center-backs in their build-up play. In the 23rd minute, after an inaccurate cross-field pass from Bentaleb, Argentina launched a quick counter-attack. From the 25th minute onwards, Argentina fully controlled the proceedings on the pitch, a dominance briefly interrupted by a mandated hydration break in the 27th minute. After play resumed, Lautaro Martínez surged forward with a promising chance after a long pass, but unfortunately for his team, he slipped and lost possession. In the 33rd minute, the scoreboard clearly showed a 65% to 35% possession advantage for the South American giants. Two minutes later, Enzo Fernández couldn't break through three opponents, but then in the 37th minute, the same player looked for Lautaro Martínez, who was expertly marked by Bensebaini. In the 38th minute, Messi took a direct free-kick but missed the target. Shortly before halftime, Argentina displayed some neat interplay in the box, but after a move involving Messi and Fernández, the Chelsea midfielder failed to get a shot away. In the 42nd minute, goalkeeper Martínez had to be alert to a driven cross, which he calmly tipped over for a corner. Towards the end of the half, both sides threatened from distance; first Almada, and then in the 45th minute, Algeria's Chaïbi, both sent their powerful shots over the bar. In added time, Balghali illegally stopped Montiel on the left wing, but the resulting set-piece didn't lead to a goal, and the Algerians went into the dressing room with a narrow deficit, despite having more possession in the closing stages, albeit far from the opponent's goal.

Argentina made a change for the second half, with Nahuel Molina replacing Montiel, while the Algerian coach kept his original lineup. Lionel Scaloni's men controlled the game from the outset, and in the 49th minute, Boudaoui fouled Messi near the touchline. Four minutes later, the Argentine captain unleashed a shot from outside the box but fired over. In the 55th minute, Argentina made a double substitution, with Julián Álvarez and Nicolás González replacing the tiring Lautaro Martínez and Thiago Almada. Immediately after, the Albiceleste launched a counter-attack, but de Paul overhit his pass to Messi. In the 57th minute, Luca Zidane made a superb save, pushing away Lautaro Martínez's powerful shot after a Messi pass. Algeria responded with a nice combination, but Maza's shot was bravely blocked by Lisandro Martínez. The turning point arrived in the 60th minute; goalkeeper Zidane couldn't hold Alexis Mac Allister's fierce shot, and a free Lionel Messi tapped in the rebound to make it 2-0, just after Mándí had made a last-ditch clearance from Álvarez. After an hour of play, coach Petković made three substitutions, including the star Mahrez, but Argentina was playing with complete comfort. In the 68th minute, Messi had a huge chance for a hat-trick, but Zidane saved his one-on-one effort. The second hydration break followed, and after it, in the 75th minute, Messi went down in the box after a challenge with Mándí, but no penalty was awarded. What couldn't be achieved from open play or a penalty, the star forward completed in the 76th minute. He received the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the corner to complete his hat-trick, making it 3-0. This goal also saw him equal Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record of 16 goals. In the 80th minute, both sides made substitutions; the shaken center-back Maza left the field after a blow to the face, and the crowd applauded the departing Messi and Romero, who were replaced by Paz and Otamendi. The end of the match saw a few more tough challenges, with Medina fouling Mahrez, but the set-piece in the 86th minute did not lead to any cosmetic changes to the scoreline. Although the Algerians settled in the opponent's half towards the end, the outcome of the match had long been decided.