“In a do-or-die World Cup qualifier away to Ecuador, Messi completes his hat-trick from an Otamendi assist to turn Argentina’s once-precarious campaign into a 3–1 lead, pushing them firmly toward Russia and adding another strike to his towering World Cup qualifying tally.”
Messi delivers a hat-trick under intense qualifying pressure, almost single-handedly dragging an unconvincing Argentina to the World Cup with a 90-minute captain’s performance against Ecuador.
With Argentina trailing 1–0 in a must-win World Cup qualifier in Quito, Messi latches onto Ángel Di María’s early pass to level the score and ignite the hat-trick that drags his country back toward Russia, bringing up career goal 580 in the process.
In a Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona trailing Arsenal, Messi’s first strike instantly drags Barça level and ignites the four-goal masterclass that turns this night into his iconic Camp Nou ‘poker’, capped as career goal No.129 and his 22nd in the competition.
With Argentina’s World Cup hopes hanging in the balance in Quito, Messi restores a 2–1 lead over Ecuador on the way to a rescue hat-trick, his second strike of the night and 20th goal in World Cup qualifiers.
With Barcelona already turned around against Arsenal, Messi latches onto Seydou Kéita’s pass to stretch the quarter-final lead to 3–1, completing his hat-trick on the way to a four-goal Champions League masterclass and reaching his 24th goal in the competition.