Xplorich
Lionel Messi once again stole the show for Argentina, scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his career in a 3-0 victory over Algeria and equalling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals to become the joint-highest scorer in World Cup history. The 38-year-old captain described the achievement as a special moment shared with his family, teammates and supporters.“To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment,” Inter Miami star Messi said afterwards. “I’m happy.”Messi also praised the support from Argentina fans.“I’m grateful to the fans, because once again they’ve shown that Argentina is crazy about this — we packed the stadium again.”
Tackle sparks controversy
Despite his heroics, Messi found himself at the centre of controversy early in the second half after a studs-up challenge on Algeria defender Aissa Mandi. The referee awarded a free-kick and VAR decided against further punishment, allowing the Argentine skipper to remain on the pitch.However, former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha felt Messi was fortunate to escape a sending-off.“It probably should have been a red card in,” ESPN and former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha said.“And I think the referee’s probably missed it and I understand why the referee’s missed it but for the video system referees to look at that and say ‘nah that’s all fine there’s nothing more to it’, I personally think that’s worthy of a red card.”His ESPN colleague Ale Moreno was even more emphatic.“It’s 100 per cent a red card for Lionel Messi, should have been,” he added.
Scaloni runs out of superlatives
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he no longer had enough words to describe his captain.“For 20 years, he’s had us used to seeing things like this, and he inspires everyone who watches him play,” Scaloni said.Looking ahead to the next Group J match against Austria, Scaloni said: “We’re going to take it one game at a time. The team is happy; we gave playing time to a lot of players.”“Hopefully we can win the next one so everyone can be in the third group stage match.”
