Messi once again carved his name into World Cup history, becoming only the second player to score in five different editions of the tournament. Making a record sixth World Cup appearance, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner punished a rare opening in the Algerian defence, coolly beating goalkeeper Luca Zidane for his 14th World Cup goal and sending the blue-and-white masses inside the stadium into raptures.
The Argentine captain had earlier thought he had opened the scoring, only to see his effort ruled out for offside. He would not be denied a second time, producing a sublime finish to hand the holders the lead.
With the strike, Messi joined Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have scored in five separate World Cups. Ronaldo, who achieved the feat in Qatar four years ago, is also set to feature in his sixth tournament when Portugal open their campaign on Wednesday.
Messi’s latest milestone also brought him closer to the summit of the all-time World Cup scoring charts. Germany legend Miroslav Klose remains the leading marksman with 16 goals, followed by Brazil icon Ronaldo Nazario on 15. Messi’s 14th goal moved him level with France forward Kylian Mbappe — who struck twice in Les Bleus’ 3-1 victory over Senegal earlier on Tuesday — and West Germany great Gerd Muller, with the trio now sharing third place on the list.
Adding further significance to the moment, Messi’s historic strike arrived exactly 20 years after he made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
Argentina have looked fluid and cohesive throughout the opening 45 minutes, dominating possession and repeatedly finding openings with their sharp combinations. But with only one goal separating the sides, Algeria will believe they still have a chance to spring a surprise in the second half.
