Argentina and Algeria fans react to Lionel Messi's record night after World Cup clash in Kansas City

(17 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas City, Missouri - 16 June 2026 1. Various of Argentina fans playing drums and singing outside Kansas City stadium 2. Pan of fans entering Kansas City stadium before match 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Roni Erdemir, Argentina fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “To be honest when you watch in the other soccer games there is like football, like team, you know, like all team, they are playing. But when you're watching Argentina (it's) just Messi. Like he is the middle fielder, he is the defense, he is a forward, he is (the) brain, he is everything (in) the team, you know. Everyone, if you ask everyone, everyone just comes for Messi. He is the best.” 4. Argentina fans playing drums and singing outside Kansas City stadium 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Roni Erdemir, Argentina fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “Probably it's going to be his last time. We are lucky. We are really lucky to watch him alive. Like, he's great. Greatest of all time.” 6. Wide of fans outside Kansas City stadium 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Roni Erdemir, Argentina fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “We drove like 13 hours just for this game. We was here like three, four hours ago and right now we're going to start to drive, directly going to Texas. Yeah, just for just for Messi we came here.” 8. Fans walking through parking lot before match 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mebarek Sedklui, Algeria fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “So, I've been here like 11 years. So, I've come to support my country here. Like so, I mean, they lose 3-0, so it's OK. It's a soccer.” 10. Various of Argentina fans celebrating after match ++NIGHT SHOT++ 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mebarek Sedklui, Algeria fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “I feel home. I feel at home, like, I see all the people from my country. I feel at home. I don't feel like I'm in Kansas. This is like a first time Algeria comes to play here. So, for me it's very exciting. It's... I feel at home, actually.” 12. Various of fan leaving after match ++NIGHT SHOT++ 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Mebarek Sedklui, Algeria fan: ++NIGHT SHOT++ “Yeah, so I mean everybody's like friendly, like welcoming us. So like especially, even like Argentina fans, like welcoming us, they are friendly with us, we're talking. So anyway, it's just a game.” 14. Various of fans celebrating ++NIGHT SHOT++ STORYLINE: Argentina and Algeria fans reacted on Tuesday after Lionel Messi registered his first World Cup hat trick in his side's 3-0 win in its World Cup group-stage opener. Messi used the front of his white-and-blue, sweat-soaked jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes, a flood of emotions cracking his usually calm, confident demeanor after he gave Argentina an early lead in its World Cup opener against Algeria. Then he scored again. And again. Suddenly, any questions about Messi's hamstring injury, or whether he could help Argentina become the third team to win consecutive World Cups — even as his 39th birthday approaches next week — had been answered. With a brilliant hat trick in a 3-0 win over Les Fennecs, Messi moved into a tie with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the career scoring record at the men's World Cup. "When you're watching Argentina (it's) just Messi," said Argentina fan Roni Erdemir as he celebrated after the game. "Like he is the middle fielder, he is the defense, he is a forward, he is (the) brain, he is everything (in) the team... he's great. Greatest of all time." Messi has 16 goals in his record six World Cup appearances overall, and it seems inevitable that Klose's record will fall in the coming weeks. It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...