Messi gets first ever hattrick in World Cup, equalises Klose’s record

Legend Lionel Messi scored his first hattrick in the World Cup to equalise Germany's Miroslav Klose’s record of most goals in the history of the tournament.

The Argentine wizard scored his third goal on 76th minute to give the defending champions 3-o lead, before being subbed on 78th mintue.

Earlier, Messi struck in the 60th minute, finishing off another outstanding display after already dominating the first half. The goal saw him draw level with Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario on 15 World Cup goals.

It was another memorable night for the 39-year-old, whose influence had been evident from the opening whistle.

Messi thought he had opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute, only for the assistant referee's flag to rule out the goal for offside. Algeria briefly celebrated a goal of their own later in the half, but that too was disallowed.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 17th minute. Receiving the ball from Rodrigo De Paul around 25 yards from goal, Messi unleashed a brilliant strike beyond the goalkeeper to give Argentina a deserved lead. The goal was his 14th in World Cup history and ensured Lionel Scaloni's side went into the break with a 1-0 advantage.

Scaloni made his first change at halftime, introducing Nahuel Molina for Gonzalo Montiel. Ten minutes into the second half, Lautaro Martínez came close to extending the lead, but Algeria goalkeeper Luka Zidane produced an excellent save.

The Argentina coach then freshened up his attack in the 55th minute, sending on Julian Alvarez and Nicolas González in place of Lautaro Martínez and Thiago Almada.

Five minutes later came the inevitable Messi moment.

The captain found the net once again to put the result beyond doubt, continuing his remarkable World Cup legacy while edging ever closer to Klose's all-time record.