Foxborough [US], June 17 (ANI): Norway star footballer Erling Haaland was in awe of Lionel Messi, saying that he is a “madman,” after the Argentine legend scored a record hat-trick against Algeria in the defending champions’ 3-0 win in their campaign opener in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026.
In a Snapchat story, Haaland uploaded his selfie and wrote in the caption, “Messi is a madman” along with a crown emoji.
Messi, in his 200th appearance for Argentina, scored three different types of goals. Messi’s first came from a powerful long-range strike in the 17th minute after a quick free-kick from Argentina’s De Paul.
His second was a close-range finish after a rebound fell kindly in the box following an effort from Mac Allister. He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute with a composed curling finish after initiating the move himself with a mazy run.
With the hat-trick, Messi registered his name in the record books for multiple accolades, the most notable being for the joint-most goals in World Cup history. Messi is now tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose on 16 goals in FIFA World Cup history.
He also moved past Ronaldo (15 goals), as well as Germany’s Gerd Muller and France’s Kylian Mbappe, who were both on 14 goals. Notably, Mbappe had earlier equalled Muller’s tally with a brace in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day.
Notably, the hat-trick also came exactly 20 years after Messi’s first World Cup goal in 2006, which came in Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia in the 2006 World Cup, adding a historic milestone to his landmark performance.
Coming back to the match, a quick free-kick from Rodrigo De Paul found Messi in midfield, and the captain took off through the heart of the pitch. Spotting an opening, he unleashes a thunderous strike from distance that brushes the fingertips of Luca Zidane before crashing into the top corner as Argentina found the first goal of the day in the 17th minute.
It was Messi once again on the scoresheet, after a clever, disguised pass set Nicolas Gonzalez free down the left wing. Gonzalez delivered a cross into the box that was heroically cleared to Mac Allister in midfield. The Liverpool star struck from range, but Algeria’s Luca Zidane could only push the low effort into a dangerous area. Messi, who had quietly positioned himself, reacted quickest to tap in the rebound for one of the easiest goals of his career.
In the 76th minute, Messi started the move himself with a mazy dribble in the centre circle before releasing it wide to Gonzalez on the left. The substitute had taken a touch and then laid it back to Messi on the edge of the box. What followed was inevitable, as the Argentine legend curled a low drive into the bottom corner to complete his hat-trick. (ANI)
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