NEW YORK (Sports Desk) – Lionel Messi produced another historic performance on Tuesday, scoring a magnificent hat-trick as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in Group J, while Austria, France and Norway also registered significant victories in their respective FIFA World Cup matches.
The Argentina captain equalled German legend Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals and became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick. The 38-year-old achieved the feat during his 200th international appearance and became the first footballer to compete in six World Cups.
Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a stunning long-range strike after being set up by Rodrigo De Paul. He added a second goal shortly after the hour mark when Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane spilled a shot from Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentine star completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute with another powerful finish from a Nico Gonzalez assist.
The victory provided a major boost to Argentina’s title defence campaign after questions had been raised about their form and Messi’s influence ahead of the tournament.
Earlier in Group J, Austria celebrated their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over debutants Jordan.
Romano Schmid gave Austria the lead with a spectacular strike in the 21st minute before Jordan equalised through Ali Olwan early in the second half. Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic changed the course of the match after coming on as a substitute. Although one of his goals was ruled out following a VAR review, his pressure forced an own goal from Yazan Al Arab before he sealed victory with a stoppage-time penalty.
Despite the defeat, Jordan impressed in their first-ever World Cup appearance and created numerous problems for the Austrian defence through Ali Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari.
In Group I, France defeated Senegal 3-1 with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to become his country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 58 international goals.
Senegal started brightly and came close to scoring through Nicolas Jackson, whose effort struck the post. However, France’s quality eventually proved decisive. Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 66th minute before substitute Bradley Barcola doubled the lead. Although Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in stoppage time, Mbappe responded moments later with a stunning long-range effort to secure the win and set a new national scoring record.
Meanwhile, Norway continued their impressive campaign with another convincing victory. Erling Haaland played a key role as Norway secured a comfortable win, while captain Martin Odegaard orchestrated play from midfield. Leo Ostigard added a late goal before Norway benefited from an own goal to complete the scoring.
The latest round of matches leaves Argentina, France, Austria and Norway in strong positions in their respective groups as the race for the knockout stages gathers momentum.
Tags: FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi, Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Kylian Mbappe, France, Senegal, Marko Arnautovic, Norway, Erling Haaland, Football
