Algeria national football team's coach Vladimir Petković praised Lionel Messi's performance in the match against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Petković said in a press conference after the match: "Lionel Messi is a great player, he's an unusual player, but a player who has been crowned the best player in the world 7 or 8 times. Algeria allowed Argentina to score a goal after leaving the space, but Messi's mental clarity in difficult moments makes him an amazing player, and he always makes things easy for himself.

Petković added: "The Bergeot player is a very talented player, and for a long time he has been producing magic in the world of football, and Argentina was able to score thanks to Messi.

Messi celebrated his 200th match with his national team, where he was on the verge of making history in the World Cup.

The Argentine star scored his three goals in the 17th, 60th, and 76th minutes, respectively, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup, tied with the German Miroslav Klose with 16 goals each, surpassing the Brazilian Ronaldo by a single goal.

This was the first match between Algeria national football team and Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026.