Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Lionel Messi World Cup hat-trick headlines a remarkable start to the tournament, with the Argentina captain scoring three times in a 3-0 win over Algeria after Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland also lit up their opening matches.
Messi’s treble came on his 200th international appearance and made him the first player to appear at six World Cups, one day before Cristiano Ronaldo was due to reach the same mark with Portugal.
For more World Cup coverage, read Lionel Messi red card controversy follows Argentina World Cup win over Algeria. Fans can also follow official tournament updates through the FIFA World Cup website.
Messi adds another historic night
Argentina looked in control against Algeria, with Messi involved in the key moments and finishing the night level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
His hat-trick also followed a heavy challenge on Aissa Mandi that drew debate after the match, but the Argentina captain stayed on the field and helped seal a strong opening win.
“To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment. The squad, it’s a very united, very strong group. I feel good; we were lucky enough to win a tough match. It’s important to start off with a win in the first game.
“I’m grateful to the fans, because once again they’ve shown that Argentina is crazy about this – we packed the stadium again. Everything I’m experiencing now is a bonus. I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams – or even more than I ever dreamed of achieving – professionally and personally.”
Mbappé and Haaland also make their mark
Mbappé scored twice as France beat Senegal 3-1 in New Jersey, taking him to 58 international goals and past Olivier Giroud as France’s record scorer.
“Congratulations Kylian,” Giroud tooted on BBC One, where he is working as a not-so-great pundit. “I’m happy for him. It makes sense, it was expected. He will beat every single record – the number of caps and goals.”
“I think he can easily reach 100 goals and maybe [beat] Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record,” predicted Giroud. “He’s delivered great performances in World Cups and big games.”
Haaland scored twice in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq, marking his World Cup debut in typical style.
“You can see he lived up to the occasion – it wasn’t too big for him. I had a good feeling before the game, the last training session was very good. I had a feeling he would do it for us today.”