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00:00for alexis mccallister and guido rodriguez up top lautaro martinez has a
00:06repelled as far as montiel here's di maria beyond gallardo
00:15pico de paul has to settle for a career from wide messi
00:28now a chance for vega to pass through but he's left behind a limb
00:32and the referee has penalized him hector urrera didn't see a problem with the challenge and
00:38has engaged with the italian referee
00:48rojo alvarez this is elving lozano
00:53attacking principally through the inside right channel and winning a corner from martinez
00:58he's certainly not slow this lad and he makes
01:06and got over it and this time it was a left-footed delivery a devilish one from shadows
01:12there you go looking to find lozano
01:18sliding in martinez
01:23let's see vega has scratched it up ahead of him is lozano
01:32well it's early early days but
01:36bounced out for lautaro martinez let's come back to erving lozano
01:42who is uh adeptly dispossessed and there is another crunching tackle from urrera
01:51with argentina in mind
01:56it certainly changes the shape of the attack
01:59but both strikers seen penny the ball
02:02lozano
02:03trampled upon
02:08they go over it
02:09i thought it went square that is cannily worked martino's got a second time
02:20and by urrera
02:22moved by depaul taken back from mexico by araljo
02:27he had to make good his challenge when he
02:30took at least as much
02:32man as ball
02:37Mcalister
02:40messi
02:45shifted wide for montreal
02:49he was imprecise with his cross
02:52depaul
02:55Mcalister
02:59acuña
03:04dug out from the byline by acuña
03:06country for saudi arabia
03:07and an extraordinary goal from richarlison
03:12foul on mccalister
03:22maria dashing off his flank and bursting into life
03:27doing sufficient to force alvarez to nick it behind
03:30yeah
03:32de murier didn't do a lot wrong against sadio
03:38messi flings it in repelled as far as depaul
03:44then he got protection
03:46yeah
03:49i think he's just tried to punch this one over the bar but he gets it all wrong
03:55i'm not sure
04:01de maria
04:02he's left behind gallardo
04:11here's messi now
04:13with his foot on the ball
04:16to pull
04:18has overrun it
04:24yeah one of the few
04:29yesi
04:30de maria with drift
04:35martinez coming through the crowd
04:48there is
04:55chavez or vega
04:59it's vega
05:01it's a smashing hit
05:02and a wonderfully clean catch from martinez who's got rid in a hurry
05:10messi
05:14there are those throw
05:16and they out came to vega
05:19ambitious
05:22it was but
05:24the
05:25the
05:25maria
05:28by mccallister
05:29gathered by messi
05:31set for de maria
05:32moved on by messi
05:34flashed across the face
05:37by acuna
05:38by acuna
05:38and seen behind
05:39by montes
05:40yeah
05:41yes
05:45that's his delivery
05:48the half-time whistle
05:50it is a game
05:52that can barely breathe
05:54it hungers for time and space again
05:57never mind the longer or the medium term
06:01it is about the immediate cluster
06:05martinez goes spinning this time it is no foul
06:08and here is lozano
06:13came back to a row
06:18spawning towards lozano
06:24friguez mccallister now space ahead of messi and messi can drive and messi can twinkle
06:29and messi's ankles are taken away from beneath him by sliding palacios
06:34and argentina have a free kick in a position of huge potential advantage
06:42yeah
06:51how they yearn for a messy moment messi
07:00for a moment
07:03mcl
07:05de maria
07:07and still angel de maria
07:10mccallister chased it in
07:13montes got rid he's been one of the biggest threats
07:15doesn't need for argentina
07:18outside of him is acuña
07:21let's see linking it up again
07:22i see looking to feather it through
07:26rado is there to clear
07:33de maria
07:35again montes the key center half
07:40here goes lozano
07:42he is a lone runner he has no company whatsoever
07:45if he gets a corner out of that he's done brilliantly
07:49it wasn't to be
07:51messi fernandez
07:55de maria
07:58little messi
08:00messi's here
08:01oh
08:03that's what they came for
08:09the magic man
08:18one more messi moment
08:23and argentina are alive
08:30the noise in here
08:33yeah
08:35and uh
08:36thumped rather wildly by
08:38molina
08:39yeah a bit of a wild one that
08:41by chavez taken back though for messi
08:44and messi kept wriggling
08:48and alvarez kept biting
08:52by uh palacios
08:54and here goes alvarez and messi's in the middle
08:58it's alvarez
08:58it's messi he couldn't bring it with him
09:03see again
09:07alvarez
09:09messi
09:10sure
09:11lotted out the line at the near post
09:19yes
09:22ran into traffic
09:23by moreno
09:32morado was
09:34protect messi has company a lot of it to paul thick touch from him
09:41so just a glimpse of it to gallardo
09:46martinez
09:46acuña
09:51another corner
09:52str leaving a man forward who needs uh attention
09:57oh sweet feet wonderful goal
10:02enzo fernando and argentina now surely out of reach
10:16to glittering gems for the alve celeste
10:21and tuna
10:25by lissandra mario
10:28at least to reduce that deficit
10:31as has mentioned
10:34jimenez
10:43have you ever wondered what happens when a defending world champion begins his journey to
10:49protect the crown not in the final not in the knockout rounds but in that very first game
10:54the moment when expectations are at their highest pressure is crushing and one mistake
10:59can send shockwaves through the entire football world because that's exactly where argentina finds
11:05itself the reigning world champions the nation of diego maradona the home of leonel messi
11:10and now on the biggest stage once again argentina opens its 2026 fifa world cup campaign
11:16against a dangerous and unpredictable algeria side and here's the crazy part
11:20history tells us that world cup openers are rarely comfortable for argentina in 1990
11:25they lost to cameroon in 2022 they suffered one of the biggest upsets in football history
11:31against saudi arabia so before anyone writes algeria off remember this world cups don't care
11:36about reputations world cups create chaos and algeria knows exactly how to create chaos because
11:43this is not just another underdog story this is a nation whose impact on the world cup change football
11:48forever let's dive into it as argentina arrives in the united states for world cup 2026 all eyes
11:55naturally turn toward one man leonel messi at 39 years old he continues to rewrite football history
12:01every tournament seems to add another chapter to a career that already feels impossible and this match
12:07could bring another record messi's appearance would place him among the most decorated world cup players
12:12ever and move him closer to several all-time tournament milestones but what's truly remarkable isn't the
12:18record itself it's how he's still doing it most players decline physically by this stage of their careers
12:24messi adapted he became smarter more selective more efficient he doesn't need to touch the ball a
12:30hundred times anymore he only needs a few moments and those moments can destroy entire defenses
12:37that evolution may be argentina's greatest weapon because this team isn't built exactly like the 2022
12:43champions some veterans are older some younger players have stepped into bigger roles but the identity
12:49remains control the ball control the tempo control the game at the heart of that identity sits one of
12:56the strongest midfields in international football enzo fernandez alexis mccallister rodrigo depaul three
13:02completely different players three pieces of the same machine mccallister provides intelligence enzo
13:08provides vision depaul provides intensity and together they allow argentina to dominate possession while
13:15constantly searching for openings many teams try to stop messi few realize they must first survive
13:21argentina's midfield because if that trio controls the match messi usually finds the space he needs and
13:27that's where algeria could face problems but before we discuss argentina's strengths further we need to
13:33talk about the opponent because algeria's football history contains one of the most unbelievable world cup
13:39stories ever told the year was 1982 algeria arrived at its first ever world cup nobody expected much
13:47especially against west germany at the time west germany was considered one of the tournament favorites
13:52some german players reportedly spoke confidently before kickoff many expected a routine victory instead
13:59football witnessed a shock algeria defeated west germany 2-1 one of the greatest upsets in world cup
14:06history suddenly the newcomers from north africa had everyone's attention but what happened next
14:11became even more famous and far more controversial as the group stage unfolded a situation emerged where
14:18west germany and austria knew exactly what result would send both teams through and eliminate algeria
14:23when they met west germany scored early and then something strange happened the game slowed to a crawl
14:29both teams appeared content with the scoreline the intensity disappeared attacks disappeared
14:35competition disappeared for long stretches the match felt like neither side wanted to change the result
14:41algeria was eliminated the football world was furious the match became known as the disgrace of gihon
14:47the backlash was so severe that fifa introduced a rule still used today final group stage matches are
14:53played simultaneously all because of what happened to algeria think about that very few nations can say
14:58they literally changed world cup history algeria can and that underdog spirit still lives inside this team
15:04fast forward to 2026 this algeria squad may not have the global reputation of argentina but they
15:10possess something dangerous speed efficiency and belief they don't need endless position they don't
15:17need 30 shots they only need a few opportunities and that's what makes them dangerous against stronger
15:22opponents players like riad mahrez bring experience and creativity mohammad amura brings space and finishing
15:28ability meanwhile young talents emerging through european football continue to add excitement to
15:34this squad this is a team comfortable defending deep comfortable suffering without the ball comfortable
15:39waiting for one mistake and against argentina mistakes will be their biggest opportunity because
15:44if there is one weakness in argentina's setup it appears during transitions when fullbacks push forward
15:50when midfielders commit numbers ahead of the ball when possession is lost unexpectedly those moments
15:55create space and algeria loves attacking space which raises an important question can argentina dominate
16:01possession without exposing themselves defensively or will algeria find a way to punish the champions on
16:07the counter-attack the answer could decide the entire match but there's another fascinating battle about
16:12to unfold one that may determine whether messi controls the game or spends 90 minutes fighting for every
16:19inch of space argentina versus algeria isn't just messi versus algeria it's a tactical chess match a
16:25battle of philosophies one side wants the ball the other side wants the space behind it
16:30and that's what makes this matchup so intriguing when argentina attacks their structure often
16:35transforms fullbacks advance midfielders rotate positions messi drifts wherever he sees an opportunity
16:42the formation becomes fluid unpredictable creative but every attacking movement comes with risk
16:48and algeria will be watching closely because their best moments often arrive immediately after winning
16:53possession a quick interception a rapid transition one pass into space suddenly the game changes mohammad
17:00amura is especially dangerous in these situations his acceleration forces defenders to make split second
17:06decisions step forward and risk being beaten drop deeper and surrender territory neither option feels
17:11comfortable then there is riad mares one of the most technically gifted players africa has produced in recent years
17:17he may not possess the explosive pace of his younger days but his intelligence remains elite give him space
17:23near the box and he can create something from nothing that combination of speed and creativity is exactly
17:28why argentina cannot afford complacency because algeria is not arriving to participate they are arriving to
17:34compete still argentina possesses advantages almost everywhere on the field emiliano martinez remains one of
17:40the most reliable goalkeepers in world football his reputation in major tournaments has become legendary big
17:46saves big moments big pressure he thrives on all of it in front of him christian romero provides aggression and
17:52leadership nicholas ottamendi provides experience together they form the backbone of a defense that
17:58has already conquered the football world then comes the midfield again because everything keeps leading
18:03back to argentina's midfield if enzo fernandez starts dictating the tempo algeria could spend long periods
18:09chasing shadows if mccallister finds pockets between the lines argentina's attack becomes far more dangerous
18:15if rodrigo depaul wins second balls and disrupts counters algeria's transitions become far less effective and
18:22then there is messi the player who somehow remains the center of every conversation not because of nostalgia
18:28because of production because even now defenders still panic when he receives the ball even now coaches build
18:34entire game plans around stopping him even now one moment of brilliance can change everything that's what makes him unique
18:41many players influence matches messi influences entire tournaments but football is never that simple because world cups have a habit
18:49of
18:49producing unexpected heroes could julian alvarez become that hero his movement creates space others
18:54don't see his pressing creates opportunities others don't create he does countless small things that
18:59often decide major matches or perhaps lautaro martinez steps into the spotlight one chance one finish one goal
19:06sometimes that's all a striker needs and what about algeria could ibrahim maza announce himself to the world
19:12young players often arrive at world cups as prospects and leave as stars every tournament
19:17creates one maybe this one does too that's why opening matches are so fascinating nobody truly knows what
19:22will happen the form guide matters the statistics matter the rankings matter and then the whistle blows
19:29everything changes pressure becomes real nerves become visible dreams become vulnerable for argentina the
19:37objective is clear start strong avoid another opening match disaster send a message to the rest of the
19:43for algeria the mission is equally clear stay organized stay disciplined believe because football history
19:51is filled with giants who underestimated underdogs and algeria has already shown before that they are
19:57capable of shocking the world so how do i see it playing out expect algeria to defend compactly and
20:03frustrate argentina early expect argentina to dominate possession expect moments where the champions look
20:10unstoppable and expect moments where algeria threatens to flip the entire script but over 90 minutes argentina's
20:17quality should eventually shine through messi's intelligence the midfield's control the depth of
20:23talent throughout the squad it feels like too much to overcome prediction argentina 3 algeria 1 a
20:30competitive battle a few nervous moments and ultimately a winning start for the defending champions but
20:36perhaps the biggest story isn't the result perhaps it's the site of leonel messi stepping onto another world cup stage
20:42a
20:43player who has inspired generations a player who has already completed football yet somehow continues writing history
20:49because one day these world cups will exist without messi one day football fans will tell stories about watching him
20:56play
20:57but today isn't that day today the journey continues and as long as messi is still walking onto a world
21:03cup pitch
21:03anything feels possible the champions begin their defense the challengers prepare their challenge and the world watches
21:10because this is the fifa world cup where legends are remembered and history is always waiting to be written
21:16in
21:16in
21:16in
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