Messi Shines As Argentina Defeat Algeria 3-0 To Open Group Play
- Alex McCaskey
- 31 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Credit Opta Analyst
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
It wouldn’t be a World Cup without seeing Lionel Messi put the ball in the back of the net, and Argentina’s opening group stage match on June 16th was no different. Messi joined Mirosav Klose atop the all-time World Cup scoring chart with a hat trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The defending champs got off on the right foot as they look to repeat as world champions. After a disallowed Algeria goal for offside early on, Messi got the party started in the 17th minute with a strike from 24 yards out to take the lead. The fireworks stopped after that because the scoreline read 1-0 as the teams headed to the locker room at the end of the first half.
It would be a tough task for the Algerians to come back in the second 45 but in the World Cup, anything is possible. However, Lionel Messi had other plans. First, he doubled the lead in the 60th minute to make a comeback attempt look more unlikely. Lastly, we got to see Messi turn back the clock as he fired a shot in from 20 yards away to finish off his hat-trick and to keep the Argentinian fans in attendance happy.
When the final whistle blew, Argentina walked away with three points, a good start to group play as they look to make some noise in the knockout rounds of the tournament.
The most telling stat from the match was that Algeria controlled possesion, 52% to 48%. Neither side was shy about playing physical with a total of 21 fouls committed, 13 by Argentina and eight by Algeria. Despite controlling possession, Algeria managed one shot on goal to the six from Argentina.
What’s up next for these squads in the group stage? First up is Argentina as they take on Austria at 1:00 pm in Dallas on June 22nd. Next up is Algeria as they travel to San Francisco to take on Jordan at 11:00 pm also on June 22nd.
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