Lionel Messi became the second player to score in five World Cups, giving defending champion Argentina an early 1-0 lead over Algeria on Tuesday night.
Making his record sixth appearance in the tournament, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found a crease in the Algerian defense and easily beat goalkeeper Luca Zidane for his 14th World Cup goal, sending a blue-and-white-clad crowd packed inside Arrowhead Stadium into delirium.
Moments earlier, Messi had a goal disallowed for offsides.
Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal as the only players with goals in five World Cups. Ronaldo became the first in 2022 and is set to play in his sixth World Cup on Wednesday.
Miroslav Klose of Germany holds the record for World Cup goals with 16, one ahead of Brazil great Ronaldo. Messi’s latest highlight pulled him into a tie for third on the career list with Kylian Mbappé — who scored two goals in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier Tuesday — and Gerd Muller of West Germany.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
