{"id":1365,"date":"2026-06-17T15:39:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:39:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:39:04","slug":"from-the-sports-desk-messis-hat-trick-caps-day-of-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=1365","title":{"rendered":"From The Sports Desk: Messi\u2019s hat trick caps day of stars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Lionel Messi<\/strong> tied the World Cup\u2019s career scoring record with a stunning hat trick in Argentina\u2019s opening game against Algeria last night.<\/p>\n

Read more Oldest evidence of a plague outbreak found in prehistoric graves, rewriting the disease\u2019s history<\/a><\/p>\n

Messi, who will celebrate his 39th birthday next week, put to doubt any questions about whether he could help his country win back-to-back titles after recently recovering from a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n

Scoring all the goals in a 3-0 win, Messi tied Germany\u2019s Miroslav Klose<\/strong> for the tournament\u2019s career scoring record, which stands at 16 goals.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The Inter Miami goal machine netted his first in the opening minutes. His second was a rebound shortly after halftime. The third came moments before he was subbed to a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

Messi made his World Cup debut 20 years ago when he scored against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. He is now the first player to appear at six World Cups, and last night\u2019s hat trick was the 61st of his career, albeit his first at a World Cup.<\/p>\n

Argentina tops Group J, ahead of Austria (on goal difference), which beat Jordan 3-1 earlier yesterday.<\/p>\n

Messi upstaged two of soccer\u2019s megastars \u2014 Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong> of France and Erling Haaland<\/strong> of Norway \u2014 who had big games of their own yesterday.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Mbapp\u00e9 scored twice in France\u2019s 3-1 win over Senegal to move into a tie for fourth on the World Cup goals list with 14. The star-studded French, along with European champion Spain, top many bookmakers\u2019 lists of favorites for the tournament.<\/p>\n

Playing in his first World Cup game, Haaland, one of Europe\u2019s most feared strikers, scored twice for Norway in its 4-1 victory over Iraq.<\/p>\n

World Cup Preview<\/h2>\n

Group L opens today with a heavyweight contest between familiar foes England and Croatia in Texas.<\/p>\n

Read more Luigi Mangione will use a psychiatric defense in state murder case<\/a><\/p>\n

Croatia\u2019s extra-time victory over England in the 2018 semifinals remains \u200ba defining moment in recent tournament history, and although both squads have evolved, the \u2060psychological edge of that night still lingers.<\/p>\n

After decades of World Cup underachievement (England has not reached the final since it won in 1966), the English enlisted no-nonsense German manager Thomas Tuchel <\/strong>to help lead them to glory.<\/p>\n

Tuchel\u2019s main dilemmas center on selection rather than fitness, with competition for places in midfield, defense and the No. 10 role, where Real Madrid\u2019s Jude Bellingham<\/strong> and Aston Villa\u2019s Morgan \u200bRogers <\/strong>are vying for the \u200bposition, underlining the depth \u2060at his disposal.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Croatia \u2014 with a population of less than 4 million, compared with England\u2019s nearly 59 million \u2014 remains one of international soccer\u2019s most resilient teams. Unbeaten in qualifying and built around the enduring presence of 40-year-old Luka Modri\u0107<\/strong>, they combine \u200bexperience with \u2060tactical discipline and are rarely overawed on the big stage.<\/p>\n

For England, \u200bthe opener offers a chance to underline its status as a contender. For Croatia, it is another opportunity to defy expectations.<\/p>\n

Also in action today is Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong>\u2019s Portugal, which opens its campaign in Group K against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the same group, Uzbekistan, managed by former Ballon d\u2019Or winner Fabio Cannavaro<\/strong>, who won the tournament as Italy\u2019s captain in 2006, plays Colombia in Mexico City. And Ghana takes on Panama in Group L.<\/p>\n

Men in Blazers<\/h2>\n

Take a bow, Lionel Messi<\/strong>. Soccer fans didn\u2019t just witness a match last evening; they took in greatness in the shape of heroism, the game in its purest form, and the artist and his paintbrush. With his first career World Cup hat trick, Messi moved up the ladder to 16 tournament goals, drawing level with the great Miroslav Klose<\/strong> as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 to begin its competition title defense. Fellow 2022 finalist France began its own journey after Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong> hit the on button after the halftime break and nonchalantly decided to make history in their 3-1 win over Senegal. Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s World Cup main character syndrome is irrefutable, and at just 27, he became his country\u2019s all-time top goal-scorer while sitting on 14 World Cup goals of his own.<\/p>\n

Today sees three major European powerhouses enter the fray, as the first round of group stage matches comes to a close. It begins with Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong> looking to make a record-tying sixth tournament appearance for Portugal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston at 1 p.m. ET. Then, England and its manager, Thomas Tuchel<\/strong>, take to the pitch against 2018 finalist and 2022 third-place finisher Croatia in a clash between two giants at 4 p.m. ET in Dallas. For the full match schedule, head here.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

For more World Cup coverage sent straight to your inbox every morning,<\/em> subscribe to the Men in Blazers newsletter<\/em>. We\u2019ll be covering every match, every goal and every joyous moment that soccer\u2019s biggest spectacle is sure to bring.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Rex Heuermann to be sentenced in Long Island\u2019s Gilgo Beach serial murders after pleading guilty<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi tied the World Cup\u2019s career scoring record with a stunning hat trick in Argentina\u2019s opening game against Algeria last night<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom The Sports Desk: Messi\u2019s hat trick caps day of stars - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=1365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From The Sports Desk: Messi\u2019s hat trick caps day of stars - 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