Argentina got their title defence off to the perfect start as Lionel Messi proved yet again that age is just a number by scoring his first hat-trick at the World Cup and drawing level with Miorslav Klose’s record in a 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The early exchanges made it seem as though the contest would be a lot closer than it ended up as, first Messi then Fares Chaibi, each had a goal ruled out for offside. That was inside the first 10 minutes with both teams showing that the first goal could be a crucial one.
