Lionel Messi marked his historic 200th international appearance with a stunning goal as Argentina took a 1-0 lead against Algeria at halftime in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match in Kansas City on Wednesday.
The defending champions controlled much of the first half and were rewarded in the 17th minute when Messi produced a moment of brilliance. Rodrigo De Paul found the Argentine captain in space inside the Algerian half. Messi drove forward before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike from distance that beat goalkeeper Luca Zidane and flew into the net.
The goal was Messi’s 118th for Argentina and his 14th in FIFA World Cup history. The strike moved him level with Kylian Mbappe and Gerd Muller on the all-time World Cup scoring list.
Argentina had threatened early. Messi thought he had opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a neat pass from Lautaro Martinez, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Algeria also had a goal disallowed three minutes later when Farid El Melali Chaibi was caught offside before finding the net.
Lionel Scaloni’s side dominated possession after taking the lead. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and De Paul controlled midfield while Messi repeatedly caused problems with his movement and passing.
Algeria enjoyed a few promising moments. Chaibi tested the Argentine defence from a tight angle and the North Africans spent brief spells on the ball, but they struggled to create clear chances against a well-organised back line.
Lautaro Martinez came close to creating danger on several occasions, while Thiago Almada remained active on the left flank. However, Argentina could not add a second goal before the break.
As halftime arrived, Argentina held a deserved 1-0 advantage with Messi’s superb strike separating the two sides. The South American giants are now 45 minutes away from opening their World Cup campaign with a victory.
