Curacao: Lionel Messi was in top form on Tuesday night as he not only scored a hattrick but also hit a hattrick against Curacao at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades. Messi’s brilliant show helped Argentina blank the hosts 7-0. Playing in his 174th match for the three-time FIFA World Cup winners, he achieved the triple-figure mark in the 20th minute of the game when he found the back of the net to score his first goal of the match. Once he found the back of the net, it seemed he knew that he had reached the milestone. It was Giovani Lo Celso’s pass inside the penalty box to Messi, who had to then dodge two defenders to find the back of the net.
Here is the goal:
LIONEL MESSI SCORES HIS 100TH GOAL FOR ARGENTINA
pic.twitter.com/Zqg7TKQ9Ji
— Hamza (@lapulgafreak) March 28, 2023
The 35-year-old soon added another just after the half-hour mark to make it 3-0, and then completed his hat-trick on 37 minutes with the fifth as Argentina toyed with their overmatched opponents.
Messi came into the game not just as his country’s all-time record goalscorer, but with more goals than the next two top marksmen — Gabriel Batistuta on 56 and Sergio Aguero with 41 — put together.
This was Argentina’s second match since winning the World Cup in dramatic style against France in Qatar in December — triumphing 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw — and it was always going to be about Messi reaching 100 goals.
He had come up short on Thursday last week when he notched his 99th goal for the Albiceleste as Argentina toiled in their homecoming celebration match against Panama.
(With AFP inputs)
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