Lionel Messi needed just 17 minutes to make his mark at the 2026 World Cup. Appearing in his sixth tournament, the Argentina captain was on hand to provide yet another moment of magic to give his country the lead against Algeria. After a frantic opening 15 minutes that saw two goals disallowed one for each team parity was restored through the former Barcelona playmaker. Receiving a delightful line-breaking pass from Rodrigo De Paul, Messi turned into space and drove towards goal.He barely looked up before curling a left-footed strike away from Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane and into the top corner.An eruption of noise followed in Kansas, celebrating another Messi goal in his 27th World Cup match.And it is an all-too-familiar sight for fans around the world, many of whom have stayed up until the early hours of Wednesday morning to witness the magician on the biggest stage once again.Make sure to continue following along as Argentina look to capitalise on their lead over Algeria right here on 101GreatGoals. Topics Argentina National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read LIVE Argentina v Algeria: Commentary, updates, goals and stats as Lionel Messi leads defending champions in opener Jon Fisher 16th June, 2026 Argentina v Algeria: Confirmed team news as Lionel Messi starts for World Cup opener Jon Fisher 17th June, 2026 Lionel Messi: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full Argentina squad Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 Argentina v Algeria: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream to watch Lionel Messi, prediction Mitch Fretton 16th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 Argentina boss Scaloni excited to have Lionel Messi fit and ready for World Cup opener: He looks good Jon Fisher 15th June, 2026
