Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Argentina began their FIFA World Cup title defence with a 3-0 win over Algeria in their Group J opener in Kansas City.

The Argentina captain, playing his 200th international match, moved level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the joint all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals.

Messi’s three goals gave Argentina a commanding start to the tournament and added another major milestone to his international career. It was also his first hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup.

The 38-year-old scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, according to match reports, as defending champions Argentina controlled the game and secured all three points.

With the performance, Messi also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, exactly 20 years after scoring his first goal at the tournament.

Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said after the match that his team made errors which allowed Messi too much space, while also acknowledging the Argentine forward’s quality.

Argentina will look to build on the victory as they continue their Group J campaign. Algeria, meanwhile, will need to recover quickly after a difficult opening defeat.

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