Messi’s hat trick, Mbappé’s VAR storm, Group H gridlock

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 · 9 min

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2026 FIFA World Cup saw Lionel Messi open Argentina’s title defense with a first World Cup hat trick, while France’s 3-1 win over Senegal added a major VAR flashpoint and Group H stayed jammed after Uruguay-Saudi Arabia’s draw.

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In this episode

Argentina 3-0 Algeria: Magical Messi matches Klose's record with maiden World Cup hat-trick | beIN SPORTS — Lionel Messi's marvellous hat-trick, his first at a World Cup, propelled reigning champions Argentina to an emphatic victory over Algeria.
FIFA World Cup: Argentina 3, Algeria 0 – TSN Skip to main content ADVERTISEMENT Video ## FIFA World Cup: Argentina 3, Algeria 0 Lionel Messi scored his first hat trick at a FIFA World Cup as defending champion Argentina cruised to a 3-0 win against Algeria in their opening group stage match. June 16, 2026 at 11:20PM…
Saudi Arabia draw 1–1 against Uruguay in World Cup opening game | World Cup 2026 News | Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera
Saudi Arabia draw 1–1 against Uruguay in World Cup opening game | World Cup 2026 News | Al Jazeera Listen (3 mins) Save Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Whatsapp Copy link Add Al Jazeera on Google Mohamed Kanno of Saudi Arabia and Manuel Ugarte of Uruguay compete for the ball [Lars Baron/Getty Images via AFP] Maxi Araujo scored a late equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw for…
World Cup VAR review: Should France have gotten penalty vs. Senegal? - ESPN — ESPN
# World Cup VAR review: Should France have gotten penalty vs. Senegal? - ESPN Author: Andy Davies Published: 2026-06-16T21:27:00+00:00 Source: espn.com (espn.com) Language: en ## Story World Cup VAR review: Should France have gotten penalty vs. Senegal? - ESPN Skip to main content Skip to navigation play The video assistant referee causes controversy every week, whether it be the Premier…