Messi equals World Cup scoring record with hat-trick

Lionel Messi earned a spot in the World ​Cup history books with a ‌hat-trick that saw Argentina begin the defence of their title with an emphatic ​3-0 victory over Algeria on ​Tuesday.

Messi became the tournament’s joint all-time ⁠leading scorer as he advanced to ​a total of 16 goals, equalling ​the record held by Miroslav Klose of Germany.

The opening game in Group J saw ​another masterclass from the Argentina captain, who ​turns 39 later this month and was marking ‌his ⁠200th cap for his country as he became the first player to compete at six World Cups.

He ​got his ​goalscoring spree ⁠underway with a 17th-minute strike from the edge of ​the penalty area, followed by ​a ⁠tap-in on the hour mark, and the hat-trick was completed in the ⁠76th ​minute with a ​precise shot into the corner of the net.