Argentina’s Early Dominance and Messi’s Strike

By Ama Serwah — 17 June 2026 — 3 min read

Argentina’s Early Dominance and Messi’s Strike

Argentina, the reigning champions, commenced their World Cup 2026 campaign against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium, also known as Arrowhead Stadium. The match saw an early goal from Lionel Messi in the 17th minute. This goal followed an earlier attempt by Messi in the fifth minute that was disallowed due to an offside call. Messi’s strike came after he advanced towards the penalty area and unleashed a left-footed shot that curled into the top-right corner of the goal, leaving Luca Zidane, Algeria’s goalkeeper, with no chance.

The defending champions displayed a composed and confident approach from the start. Their anthem was sung with smiles and pride, while Algeria’s players showed steely determination. The match officials for the game were from Poland, led by referee Szymon Marciniak, who previously officiated the 2022 World Cup final and the 2023 Champions League final.

Argentina’s play in possession involved biding their time and drawing Algeria out, often using a 4-3-3 formation when defending. Messi, positioned on the right of the front three, even contributed defensively, winning the ball back in his own half. The team’s structure during build-up play was compact, focusing on rondo-style passes in tight areas to try and unlock Algeria’s defense.

Algeria’s Efforts and VAR Interventions

Despite Argentina’s early lead, Algeria showed moments of promise. In the 11th minute, Fares Chaibi scored a goal that was subsequently ruled out for a marginal offside after a VAR review. This decision, though disappointing for Algeria, seemed to boost their confidence, leading them to spray the ball around effectively in midfield.

Ibrahim Maza, a Bayer Leverkusen playmaker, demonstrated skill in midfield, weaving around Alexis Mac Allister to initiate Algeria’s attacks. Algeria’s goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, played a significant role, wearing a protective face mask due to a jaw and chin fracture sustained in April. Zidane, the son of Zinedine Zidane, committed to Algeria’s senior team last year after playing for France at age-group level.

Algeria’s defensive strategy often involved a deep low block, particularly when facing Argentina’s relentless attacks. They managed to create some opportunities, forcing a corner when Emiliano Martinez had to repel an angled drive from Amine Gouiri. However, many of Argentina’s shots, including one from Thiago Almada, went over the bar, a consistent theme in the tournament so far.

Team Line-ups and Notable Absences

For Argentina, the starting lineup included Emiliano Martinez, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Thiago Almada, Lionel Messi, and Lautaro Martinez. Notably, Julian Alvarez was on the bench despite recovering from an ankle injury, and Nicolas Tagliafico missed out due to a calf injury, with Facundo Medina taking his place.

Algeria’s starting XI featured Luca Zidane, Aissa Mandi, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rafik Belghali, Ramy Bensebaini, Fares Chaibi, Hicham Boudaoui, Nabil Bentaleb, Ibrahim Maza, Amine Gouiri, and Anis Hadj Moussa. Riyad Mahrez was among the substitutes for Algeria. The match marked Messi’s record sixth World Cup appearance.

The atmosphere at Kansas City Stadium was described as electric, with fans predominantly in Argentina’s sky blue and white colours. The stadium, primarily home to the NFL franchise Kansas City Chiefs, has twice earned the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ quarterback, was present with his wife Brittany and delivered the match ball before kickoff.

The match was at 1-0 to Argentina after 35 minutes of play.

Source: theguardian.com