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Messi answers the moment
Lionel Messi sent a message in Kansas City, scoring his first World Cup hat trick to move into a tie for first with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
“Walking through Rosario, Argentina, is a lot like walking through soccer legend, Lionel Messi's life”
The night’s narrative had seemed set for a changing of the guard after France’s Kylian Mbappé passed him on the all-time World Cup goal-scoring list and Erling Haaland announced his arrival on the World Cup stage with two goals against Iraq.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, received a standing ovation from the Arrowhead Stadium crowd after being subbed off in the 79th minute.
As the Argentines moved forward again, Messi was unmarked at the edge of the box and fired a laser low and into the corner of the net past Luca Zidane.
The first goal that counted came after a through ball through the middle of the pitch, with Messi dribbling toward the box and unleashing a 20-yard screamer that deflected off Zidane’s fingertips and bulged the back of the net.
Goals, names, and the crowd
CNN’s Cecilia Dominguez showed where Messi grew up in Rosario, Argentina, as the story framed Messi’s World Cup moment as part of his life on and off the pitch.
The match also featured Mbappé’s brace, described as putting his full skillset on display, with the first coming off a diagonal run through the box and a first-time shot that went to the left and rolled past Senegal keeper Eduard Mendy.
Haaland’s two goals against Iraq were cited as part of the same day’s backdrop, with the narrative described as young stars in their primes laying down a statement of intent.
Messi’s second goal came 15 minutes after halftime when Alexis Mac Allister powered a shot at the Algerian goalkeeper, and Messi pounced on the rebound to send the loose ball home and give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
The third goal was described as the byproduct of the first two, with the Algerian defense “seemed beaten, broken and demoralized by Messi and his teammates and wilted by the heat in Kansas City.”
Messi’s record and what’s next
By the end of the night, Messi would once again pass Mbappé on the all-time scoring list, and he was described as Argentina’s youngest-ever World Cup goal scorer and its oldest-ever World Cup goal scorer.
“Walking through Rosario, Argentina, is a lot like walking through soccer legend, Lionel Messi's life”
The account also described a first attempt that did not count, with Messi offside after Lautaro Martínez found him beautifully for a left-foot finish.
The narrative placed Messi’s performance against the backdrop of Cristiano Ronaldo, described as 41-year-old, whose World Cup starts on Wednesday.
The same report tied the goals to specific match moments, including Messi’s third goal after a pass from Nico González on the wing was a bit behind him and the fatigued Algerians weren’t rushing to close in.
With Messi’s hat trick moving him into a tie for first on 16 World Cup goals, the story positioned his status as “still The Man” 20 years after he first stepped into the World Cup limelight.
