If there was any question about whether Lionel Messi, at 38, could still carry Argentina in a World Cup, it lasted approximately 24 minutes. His first goal in Dallas was the kind of finish that only a player of absolute elite quality produces — weight of pass, timing of run, placement of shot, all of it calibrated to a fraction. When it went in, the AT&T Stadium exhaled in something between relief and awe.
By the time he completed his hat trick in the 71st minute, the question had been retired entirely. Argentina defeated Algeria 3–0, and while the margin was comfortable, the manner was what sent the message that the rest of the tournament will be decoding for days.
Messi at 38 | A Different Kind of Dominance
Messi did not run Algeria into the ground with pace or press with youthful intensity. He did something harder to defend: he found space that should not have existed, received the ball in positions that seemed closed until they were suddenly not, and finished with the calm authority of a man who has done this so many times that pressure is simply another atmospheric condition.
His first goal arrived after a fluid Argentina build-up that drew Algeria's midfield block slightly left before releasing the ball vertically at exactly the moment the defensive shape was off balance. Messi received inside the box, shaped onto his left foot, and placed it low to the keeper's right. It was not spectacular. It was precise.
The second and third goals after the break were variations on the same theme. Algeria tried different positional solutions — deeper lines, man-marking assignments — and none of them produced a consistent answer. Argentina simply adjusted and found new angles. That capacity to adapt within a match is what elite teams do, and Argentina did it without obvious difficulty.
How Argentina Controlled Group J
Beyond Messi, Argentina's performance was notable for its collective structure. They held 62% possession and used it purposefully rather than circulating for the sake of it. The high press was organized and well-timed — Algeria turned the ball over in dangerous areas on multiple occasions in the first half, each time creating transition opportunities that Argentina converted into forward momentum if not always into shots.
Pass accuracy of 89% is a meaningful number in a World Cup context. It reflects a team that knows exactly what it is doing with the ball, where the next action leads, and when to change the tempo. Argentina looked like a side that had spent months drilling specific scenarios rather than improvising against an overmatched opponent.
Algeria | Moments Without Cohesion
Algeria showed enough individual quality to suggest they will not exit the tournament without registering points. Their best moments came on transitions — moments where their forwards got behind the Argentine defensive line — but the final ball was consistently wrong, and the movement ahead of the ball lacked the coordinated runs that turn individual talent into genuine chances.
Three shots on target from 38% possession is a statline that tells the story concisely. Algeria were not catastrophically bad. They were simply facing a side operating at a level their current squad is not equipped to match. Against easier Group J opposition, they remain dangerous. Against Argentina, they were outclassed.
Group J Standings After Matchday 1
Argentina sit top with three points and a goal difference of plus three. The result puts the rest of Group J — and the wider tournament — on notice. No other opening-day performance in any group produced a hat trick from the sport's defining player. The defending champions are defending with intent.
For the remaining teams in Group J, the calculation is now clear: you must beat Argentina, or you must accumulate enough results against the others that your fate does not depend on facing them at full strength. Neither option is comfortable. Argentina, for their part, appeared entirely unbothered by the weight of expectation that came with being the team everyone wanted to see fall on opening day.