KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick and matched Miroslav Klose's career scoring record before thousands of Argentina fans packed into Arrowhead Stadium for a match against Algeria on Tuesday night. The defending champions went on to win 3-0. Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes, the second early in the second half, and the third just before subbing out. The performance came 20 years after his World Cup debut, when Messi also scored. Messi now has 16 goals in six World Cup appearances. The hat trick upstaged stars like Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, each of whom also scored twice in their matches earlier Tuesday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some Argentina fans shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to follow the World Cup defending champions around the U.S. One group made a 20-hour drive to Tuesday’s opening match in Kansas City against Algeria, living on sandwiches, to save money. But with Lionel Messi possibly playing in his last World Cup, supporters agreed that no drive was too long or ticket too pricey. The fans included Juan Martin who is spending $20,000 to follow the team. He likens the squad and its captain to the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. Supporters' obsession was rewarded when Messi scored 3 goals.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored twice to move past Pelé with 14 World Cup goals, Bradley Barcola added another and France rebounded from a surprisingly poor first half to beat Senegal 3-1. Mbappé had 14 touches in the scoreless first half, the fewest of any player, then showed his brilliance. He put Les Bleus ahead in the 66th minute and added a goal in stoppage time. Barcola entered in the 80th and scored two minutes later. Ibrahim Mbaye scored on an angled shot for Senegal in stoppage time.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Erling Haaland scored his first two World Cup goals, including one off a defensive blunder, to propel Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq in Group I. It was the 56th and 57th international goals for the Manchester City striker and came in Norway’s first appearance in the tournament since 1998. Leo Ostigard added the third goal in the 76th minute off a corner kick from Martin Odegaard. An own-goal by Iraq’s Aymen Hussein gave Norway its final tally just before the final whistle. Iraq briefly equalized just nine minutes after Haaland’s first strike on a goal by Hussein.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pushing back on complaints from Iran’s national team that it was forced to leave the U.S. immediately after its first World Cup match instead of having a day to recover in a hotel, saying that was the plan for the team all along. Andrew Giuliani is the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force. He told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the U.S. “was clear this was the process.” Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa had also expired after the first game. Team officials and the U.S. State Department confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he had secured a new, multiple-entry visa.
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. World Cup team says it is prepared for the physical challenge of facing Australia in group play this week. The Americans say coach Mauricio Pochettino is responsible for their tough mindset. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter says the coach has emphasized something important to them: “We're American. We don't take (crap).” That mentality was partly forged last October when the U.S. faced Australia in what turned into a scrappy 2-1 friendly victory in Colorado. Pochettino lambasted his team at halftime, imploring the players to stand up for themselves after the Socceroos delivered physical tackles and punishing play.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish state broadcaster TRT has removed a commentator from its World Cup roster after he mixed up the Iran and New Zealand teams. TRT says Murat Ekrem Çimen will not continue to comment on matches during the tournament. Turkish media reports that he confused Iran’s attacks with New Zealand’s moves during the opening minutes of the broadcast. The teams shared a 2-2 draw on Monday night in Group G. TRT called the mistake “unacceptable” and apologized to viewers, emphasizing that such errors do not meet its broadcasting standards.
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of a career Grand Slam at the U.S. Open. That could be the latest comparison with Tiger Woods. This is Scheffler's first crack at joining golf's most elite club. Woods in the only player in the modern era to get the slam on his first try. Standing in Scheffler's way is a Shinnecock Hills course that is among the toughest tests in America even before the USGA gets involved. Rory McIlroy says the course is gentle at the moment. But with wind in the forecast, that could change in a New York minute.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks' ticker-tape parade will be a first. The new NBA champions have won the title before, in 1970 and ’73. But they weren't honored then with New York's signature procession. The ’70s wins came at a time when then-Mayor John Lindsay had reined in the confetti-tossing spectacles. Current Mayor Zohran Mamdani has predicted that Thursday’s celebration might be “the largest parade in New York City history.” New York’s ticker-tape tradition began in the late 19th century, when brokerage firm workers watched parades from office windows and flung out the narrow paper used by telegraph-era “stock ticker” machines.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Washington 6 Kansas City 4
Final Milwaukee 2 Cleveland 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 1 Tampa Bay 0
Final L.A. Angels 7 Arizona 0
Final Pittsburgh 6 Athletics 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 6 Boston 1
Final N.Y. Yankees 12 Chicago White Sox 2
Final Minnesota 12 Texas 2
Final Houston 4 Detroit 2
Final Seattle 3 Baltimore 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 8 Miami 2
Final Cincinnati 5 N.Y. Mets 3
Final St. Louis 3 San Diego 2
Final Colorado 5 Chicago Cubs 2