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The moment Youri Tielemans's opener burst the net in Aston Villa's Europa League triumph against Freiburg, each of the Premier League side's substitutes took a turn to embrace the man responsible for orchestrating another set-piece goal.Goalkeeper Emi Martínez chose not to celebrate with his outfield team-mates, instead racing over to the dugout to also show his appreciation to Scottish coach Austin MacPhee.Villa fans were heard chanting the name of the 46-year-old as their heroes on the pitch closed in on a 3-0 victory in Istanbul.Post-match, head coach Unai Emery labelled the Scot a "fantastic creator". Striker Ollie Watkins hailed his "courage". Captain John McGinn described his countryman as a "great set-piece coach".For some within Scottish football, where MacPhee did not get much love, this might feel like a bit of a fever dream.But there is simply no denying his impact, which has been integral to Villa's success and could also influence glory on the international scene for Portugal this summer.From Cupar Hearts and Cowdenbeath to the World Cup and Champions League, BBC Scotland charts MacPhee's remarkable rise.His appearance was perhaps a reason why he was the subject of unfair criticism during his time in Scotland, particularly when he was Hearts caretaker manager and in the frame to take the full-time position in 2019.Michael O'Neill, who worked with MacPhee for six years during his time as Northern Ireland boss, feared such scrutiny and passionately defended his then assistant."Austin brings a high level of knowledge on the opposition, a creative way to train and he's creative in how he brings information to the players," he said.MacPhee was a vital part of Northern Ireland's historic Euro 2016 qualification under O'Neill.At that point, the coach was also working in Hearts' backroom team while running a sports travel firm and a community football club.Two years before, he was scouting for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.Clearly, this is no ordinary football career, if there is ever such a thing.A peculiar journey as a player took him from Forfar Athletic's youth set-up to US college football with the Wilmington Seahawks, then on to Romania and finally Japan.His time as a coach has also been far from traditional, starting as manager of Cupar Hearts and guiding them to the Scottish Amateur Cup final.A year at Midtjylland - a club that has become a hotbed for set-piece experts - followed his spells in Scotland with Cowdenbeath, St Mirren and Hearts.Although MacPhee exited the Scottish domestic game, he would have a three-year stint with Steve Clarke's national side, helping them qualify for Euro 2024.Clarke and MacPhee were involved in a pitchside argument during the finals in Germany. The head coach glossed over the incident by saying: "He's got long blonde hair, but I'm not going to give him a cuddle."MacPhee joined Roberto Martinez's Portugal staff in February last year, five months after reluctantly stepping down from his role with Scotland to look after his ill father.It is his five years at Villa Park that have undoubtedly brought him his greatest success, though.Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other side in Europe's top five leagues in 2023-24.The following season, only four clubs in those five divisions bettered their tally. In the most recent campaign, they were level with Arsenal for the most set-piece goals.MacPhee has achieved those staggering results through years of experience and meticulous preparation.Hours are spent on the training pitch and in analysis suites, and players are given homework in the form of animations and graphics sent to their phones.Amid the Europa League celebrations in Istanbul, Emery said: "We work on everything so hard and everything makes sense."Congratulations to Austin too, he's very good at his job and we work very closely. He has so much experience and we know exactly what we are doing."A long-haired lad from Kirkcaldy might just prove to be the most lethal weapon at a World Cup. Not sure that has ever been said before, or will be said again.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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The rules are simple. Each day there's a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. But if you get your answer in as few guesses as possible, you get more points.Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.So, take part in quiz number one and return for more tomorrow.Today's player and clues are set by BBC Sport's Huzaifah Khan.After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.What information do we collect from this quiz?More 'Who am I?' quizzesWho am I? Guess World Cup star No 9Quiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World CupCan you name every player with 100 Premier League goals?Can you name the 10 Lionesses with most England caps?

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A hat-trick against Algeria equalled Miroslav Klose’s World Cup scoring record, but Messi and his teammates insist the mark doesn’t matter to himLong after the dust had settled on Argentina’s 3-0 group-stage victory over Algeria on Tuesday night, Algeria and Bayern Munich midfielder Ibrahim Maza wearily emerged from behind a curtain and stepped up to the microphone.Maza had played well, even assisting on Algeria’s disallowed first goal. He’d also had a front row seat to a Lionel Messi masterclass, just a few yards away from Argentina’s captain when he scored his third goal of the evening and tied Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer. In short order, he was asked to expand on what made Messi unplayable on Tuesday evening.“Messi things,” Maza said, a smile creeping across his face. “I don’t think I need to explain to you [what that means]. I think you just have to watch the game and then you’ll know what I mean by Messi things. He can decide the game on his own, as we saw today.”Messi did indeed decide the game on his own on Tuesday, scoring a trio of clinically-taken goals to bury Algeria and push Argentina to the brink of the knockout round.He did so 20 years to the day after scoring his first World Cup goal for Argentina. It feels sometimes like Messi is ageless, but rolling the tape on that strike – which came in Argentina’s 2006 group stage opener against Serbia and Montenegro – reveals a mop-headed teenager with alien-like speed and reflexes. He blurs across the area and smashes a finish across the face of goal, announcing his presence on the world stage.He became Argentina’s youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer that day and on Tuesday he became their oldest, eclipsing former Argentina great Martin Palermo’s record by over two full years. Messi moves slower now and undoubtedly enjoys the space he’s frequently given by defenders who fear humiliation at his hands. Twenty years on, Messi lacks a little pace but his mind is as sharp as ever, as is his ability to find space where there isn’t any to be found. He remains awe-inspiring.Not long after Maza slipped back through the curtain and headed towards the team bus, Messi himself emerged, smiling and clutching a Michelob Ultra “Superior Player of the Match” trophy, probably the least important silverware he’s ever touched.Messi, of course, is famously competitive and frequently minimizes these types of individual accomplishments, something he did on Tuesday.“Honestly [the record doesn’t matter],” he told a gaggle of reporters. “It’s an honor to be there, for what it means to be next to Klose, [Brazilian] Ronaldo is also there. [Kylian] Mbappé too, he scored twice today. At the end of the day it’s just a statistic and nothing more. ”It’s easy to question the veracity of Messi’s feelings, of course. He is relentlessly competitive, sometimes to the point of pettiness. The mere mention of Mbappé’s goals, scored hours earlier, and of the other participants on the list, demonstrates his interest.Messi’s Argentina and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, who assisted on Messi’s first goal on Tuesday, laughed when he was asked about Messi’s record.“I swear he doesn’t care. Sometimes we’ll be in a room drinking mate and we’ll tell him ‘hey man, you’re just one away or two away’ or whatever. And I swear he has no idea. I don’t know how that works.”Messi left Tuesday’s match after 80 minutes to a thunderous ovation. The nearly 70,000 in attendance chanted his name, while Messi raised his arms in acknowledgement. His head coach, Lionel Scaloni, met him at the touchline. He was visibly emotional, holding back tears as he eventually sat down on the bench next to Messi. It was not the only time that emotion got the best of him. He welled up after Messi’s third goal, and again on the field as Argentine supporters serenaded their team after the match.“There are no words; anything I say would be superfluous,” Scaloni said after the match. “It’s what he’s been doing for 20 years, it’s what the people of this sport want to see.”“He’s an animal,” added De Paul. “What makes me the happiest is that I feel like he’s enjoying it. That he doesn’t feel the weight of the pressure that he felt for so long. Everyone knows his mentality. He doesn’t let himself enjoy things much because he’s always focused in helping us and the team. But I see him good now, I see him happy. That’s contagious among the group.”Messi’s happiness was easy enough to see on Tuesday night. He beamed after every goal, celebrating much like the 19-year-old who found the back of the net for the first time 20 years ago. He lingered on the pitch after the final whistle, waving at fans and embracing his teammates. He had a warm smile on his face even as he walked towards the team bus, in the wee hours of the morning.

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ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLauren TurnerAll eyes may be on the pitch when England men's team line up for their opening World Cup game against Croatia in Dallas.But it's their fancy threads, as well as their fancy footwork, that's had people talking – from their official off-duty smart casual look to collaborations with a skateboard brand that's seen designs sell out within days of being launched.Gone are the days when the team would be seen in a traditional three-piece suit.Instead there is a collection of 12 mix-and-match pieces in navy and cream from Marks and Spencer, the FA's official partner, with not a tie in sight, all accessorised with loafers.A tie-in with Nike and skateboarding brand Palace saw many items sell out on their launch – with the team having worn a pale grey Palace tracksuit to arrive for a pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica.And there were baby blue Nike tracksuits on show as they stepped off their plane on arrival into the US for the tournament.What does their current look say about where England – and its fashion – are at?Celebrity stylist Alex Longmore, who has worked with stars including Vogue Williams, Little Mix and Jamie Laing, said the overall vibe was "quite commercial" and covered "every aspect" of men's clothing."You've got your smart casual, very Tom Ford, very Bond look – it's relaxed, it's incredibly wearable, it's aspirational."I think it's very modern, Italian chic, very of-the-moment."She compared their slip-ons to boating shoes by Tom Ford and Jimmy Choo."They're very Upper East Side, Hamptons – it's kind of European, which is an interesting look and obviously very easy to wear and on trend."It's not shouting mega-formal, 'we're the England squad and here we are feeling a bit awkward because we're sportsmen'. It's more like luxury, with wool and sports jackets."As for the fact the team isn't wearing a formal suit, which some on social media complained was not smart enough, Longmore says: "Not many men wear suits unless they're going to a wedding or funeral."And with more working from home, smart-casual is more relaxed now on every level."Athletes' bodies don't look their best in suits, they can look a bit bulky, so trousers can fall a weird way. This look is moving with the times."Celebrity stylist and Vogue contributor Marian Kwei says the modular look, with interchangeable pieces, is "designed with players in mind, but more importantly to push the narrative of individuality and style."Sports athletes have become visible with brand influencing, they're content creators in their own right," she adds.She says the choice of loafers helps the look appear "approachable" and easy, alongside "a more relaxed cut" of their jackets and trousers, and notes that the players "have their own spin on what they're wearing".Carolyn Mair, a chartered psychologist and author of The Psychology of Fashion, says the team uniform from Marks and Spencer is "a very smart, business-casual look – it is masculine but absolutely not aggressive".She adds: "It's showing their confidence, they're successful – quite discerning with the styling."And not overly corporate, because they're not wearing ties – they have polo shirts and round-neck tops. It reduces the social distance from people, we feel closer to them."She highlights the consistency of their look, saying this shows not only group identity but also "shared values"."We imagine these people are very much cohesive not just in their values but their behaviours," she adds."It doesn't look like any one of them is out there trying to get attention as the superstar of the group. It's a levelling of the playing field."As for the collaboration with London-based Palace, Longmore says: "It's going to be massive. They've been so clever with their marketing campaign. There are some really cool pieces."She said the 90s feel could have been inspired by England's performance in the 1990 tournament, when they came fourth."There's a big fashion moment with the 90s coming back – but also in the World Cup, 1990 was when England got a long way. I think there's a nod to that as well," she adds.Kwei describes it as "a seamless partnership" - citing a Palace pair of trainers inspired by a football boot."It's a perfect instance of how to translate sportswear into desirable streetwear."She adds that the new partner could appeal to Gen Z - "helping introduce football and the World Cup to a new audience".Mair says the Palace tracksuit in grey again shows unity, with the chosen colour "very modern". "It's a neat move to work with a skateboarding brand," she adds. "They look fashionable, but it's not a trend."And their baby blue Nike tracksuit, worn as they arrived in Kansas City, Missouri, their World Cup base, also shows a lot of thought has gone into it, Kwei says, with the choice of colour being both formal and accessible."It's quite fashionable - for a reason," she adds. "It's more youthful, it's easier to connect with."Longmore says the tracksuit is "ticking all the boxes", made with recycled materials and "super trending" tapered-leg trousers."It doesn't necessarily shout 'I'm an England supporter' with a number seven on the back."Not everyone has praised it though. Anna Murphy, fashion director for the Times, called the "pale blue polyester tracksuit" a "monstrosity".But it's how they play on the night that's going to count.Mair says the uniformity of the squad's look shows they are "working together"."This is about performance, not being performative," she adds."It looks like they are prepared to do a good job."Will this translate onto the pitch on Wednesday - and in the rest of their group matches? It's all to play for.

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32 CommentsIt was a day for football's biggest names. But even amid so much star quality, Lionel Messi still took top billing.Hours after France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland had lit up the World Cup with two goals each, the stage was set.But this was no supporting act, this was the main show. The Messi show.His first World Cup hat-trick, a record-equalling 16th World Cup goal, and another reminder that despite his age, he isn't going away.As the sun dipped behind the Kansas City skyline, the 38-year-old became the first player in history to feature at six World Cups - beating rival Cristiano Ronaldo by a day.Twenty years ago to the day after his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old at Germany 2006, one of the game's greatest superstars looked as sharp as ever in delivering another spectacular performance on his 200th appearance for his country.Afterwards, he said: "To enjoy this with my family, with my team-mates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment."The squad, it's a very united, very strong group. I feel good; we were lucky enough to win a tough match. It's important to start off with a win in the first game."I'm grateful to the fans, because once again they've shown that Argentina is crazy about this - we packed the stadium again."What information do we collect from this quiz?'Messi is celebrating like it's his first World Cup goal'There was an early glimpse of what was to come.Four minutes in, Messi raced clear and put the ball past Algeria's keeper, Luca Zidane, only for the offside flag to prevent what would have been a fairytale start. Fans celebrated as if they had won the World Cup. Journalists turned to each other with a look of the inevitable. It was happening. This was just a delay.There were a few moments of concern when Messi's studs caught the top of Aissa Mandi's heel but, no action was taken, and the Argentine took full advantage.By the 18th minute, Messi's moment arrived. Twenty-five yards out, he shifted on to his left foot and curled a superb effort towards the top-right corner.Goalkeeper Zidane - son of France legend Zinedine - got both hands to it, but the strike had too much power. Kansas City Stadium exploded with noise as Argentina fans celebrated Messi's 14th World Cup goal. It was the start of a historic evening.As former Everton midfielder Leon Osman observed: "Messi is celebrating like it's his first World Cup goal. With the ability he has, he never seems to age. It's a brilliant ball into his feet and, as you'd expect, he finishes it superbly."Two decades on from his first appearance on this stage, and now in a record 27th World Cup match, Messi continues to defy his age. Throughout the match, he was constantly scanning for options, constantly anticipating Argentina's next move. He looked fit, fast and threatening.After 60 minutes, Messi struck again. A costly error from Zidane allowed the ball to roll into Messi's path. With typical composure, Messi placed the ball into the net to move within one goal of becoming the joint-top scorer in World Cup history. In doing so, he became the oldest player to score two goals at the World Cup.To this point, age has not blunted Messi's ability. Since turning 35, he has scored 10 World Cup goals - more than Harry Kane, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry have each scored in total.In the 76th minute, Messi completed his hat-trick, having been teed up by substitute Nico Gonzalez. It was written in the stars.And it meant that Messi had drawn level at the top of the all-time World Cup finals scoring chart with Germany's Miroslav Klose.With his arms raised, his eyes lifted to the sky, and thousands of Argentina fans cheering his name, he took it in. Even for Messi, this felt special. He turned to thank the thousands of supporters watching on as the stadium filled with noise.As he was substituted, he left the pitch to a standing ovation. His name echoed around Kansas City.Well beyond the final whistle, thousands of Argentina stayed in the stadium to continue the party.It was a sea of blue and white, with drums beating relentlessly and Argentina fans in full voice.Many wore Messi's name on their backs, others showed off their tattoos of him. His name dominated every conversation.For them, he is more than a player. 'Hero', 'Idol', 'Our son' are words Argentina fans here used to describe him.He inspired Argentina to the World Cup four years ago. Who would back against Messi taking his country all the way again?Even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, usually the headline act in this stadium, watched on like everyone else, captivated by Messi's magic.On a day of superstars, the ageless Argentine stood above them all.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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Carlos Queiroz has plenty to deal with as the Black Stars enter the fray against Panama looking to banish a long record of underachievementThat it took Ghana until 2006 to qualify for the World Cup, despite being African football’s dominant team of the 1960s, 70s and the early 80s, winning the Africa Cup of Nations four times during this period, reflects the topsy-turvy nature of their football odyssey.“The journey of the Black Stars over the last four decades has been marked by long periods of disappointment,” says Gary Al-Smith, one of the country’s most respected football journalists. “We had a surge between 2006 and 2017, when we qualified for eight straight semi-finals at Afcon but never won anything. Yes, we had a quarter-final appearance at the 2010 World Cup, but our record overall has been pockmarked with great highlights but never a trophy. There has been nothing to celebrate.”The lack of managerial stability has certainly not helped Ghana’s quest for Afcon and World Cup glory. In the past five years they have had five coaches – Charles Akonnor, Milovan Rajevac, Chris Hughton and Otto Addo (in two spells) – before Carlos Queiroz, the former Real Madrid manager, was handed the mantle a month before the start of the World Cup.The revolving door of coaches, as Al-Smith says, has done little for team-building and competitiveness. “Teams need rhythm to grow,” he says. “Where there has to be a change in coaches, the philosophies need to match, in order for there to be continuity. In Ghana’s case, the frequent chopping and changing has meant that different coaches have brought different methods, philosophies and ways of playing. It’s not helped in the way that players are selected. The changes have certainly not helped, in terms of giving us the continuity that we have desired and needed.”The decision of Canada’s immigration authorities not to allow Thomas Partey into the country for the opener against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday, has not helped, especially with Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus, Ghana’s most influential player, ruled out of the tournament because of injury.“For Canada, which is a party to many international treaties, that accepts the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court, to decide that they have some rules that will not allow you to be admitted into their country is unfair and an overreaction,” said Kofi Adams, Ghana’s sports minister. “We have strongly protested against that.” Ghana’s appeal against the decision was rejected on Tuesday night.“Ever since his [Partey’s] issue started, we knew that once we qualified for the World Cup and we had been drawn against England, there would be trouble and headlines,” Al-Smith says. “The Ghana FA knew that there would be trouble too. They have been doing all sort of work to mitigate the effects, the blowback.“What they did not foresee was the action of the Canadians. They had got some assurances from somewhere that nothing was going to happen because it is a World Cup.”Ensuring fans of the Black Stars could travel to the United States, Mexico and Canada to cheer on the team, despite the severe immigration restrictions placed on travel by the United States and Canada, was the initial priority of the government. But there was a sudden change of strategy from John Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s president, after the financial realities of the plan made it unsustainable for a country battling with severe economic difficulties.“When I interviewed President Mahama last year he told me that the government will not spend money on taking Ghanaians abroad and that they will engage the private sector to do so,” says Al-Smith. “These amounts would have been used to pay for supporters to go from Ghana to the US. That was going to cost $10,000 (£7,450) per head.“But a few weeks ago, in London, he announced the plan had changed as the government didn’t think that was value for money. Instead they would locate the Ghanaian communities in the major cities of the diaspora, like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Toronto and, through some mechanisms, tickets will be given to them to support the team instead. With a few days to go to the games, they have not received any tickets from the embassies in Washington and Ottawa.”With tough group games against England and Croatia to come, Ghana will need their vibrant, colourful supporters more than ever.

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The eyes of the world were mesmerised by the untouchable Lionel Messi as he wrote himself into history by scoring a stunning hat-trick to give Argentina the perfect start to their World Cup title defence, beating Algeria 3-0 in Kansas.The game was an exhibition of Messi's talent on his favourite stage of all. Sharp and unerring, he was a level above every other player on the park. Perhaps, even, a class above any other to grace a World Cup finals.His treble ensured he drew level in the all-time scoring charts with Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 tournament goals, also becoming the the oldest player to score multiple times in a World Cup match, surpassing Roger Milla's record.The 38-year-old was ably supported by Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and club team-mate Rodrigo De Paul, but the night firmly belonged to him as he scored a treble of epic proportions in a display that will be talked about for decades. His 61st career hat-trick.The first was engineered by De Paul, delivering a cutting through ball to Messi in the pocket, and he shaped a lovely strike beyond Luca Zidane - son of France legend Zinedine Zidane.The second arrived early in the second half, turning home a parried effort from Mac Alisster, before the third from the edge of the area, a low, bending strike, gave him his crowning moment. He was subbed off to a standing ovation shortly after from a heavily pro-Argentina crowd. But even those of an Algerian persuasion will have been delighted to witness the magician up close.The goals came 20 years to the day that the No 10 made his World Cup debut for Argentina in a match against Serbia and Montenegro - he scored in that one, too.

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 9pm local/2pm AEST/5am BST/12am EDT⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail MartinSupporters on both sides have descended on San Francisco with Jordan making their World Cup debut and Austria returning to the stage for the first time in 28 years.It’s a comfortable 15C in San Francisco which should suit Austria more than Jordan ahead of a 9pm kick-off. The players have finished warming up and should be out with their game faces on shortly. Continue reading...

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Those in attendance at Argentina’s opening match against Algeria could be forgiven, for a moment, for thinking they were at one of the great Argentinian cathedrals of football – La Bombonera, or maybe the national stadium, El Monumental. Kansas City Stadium, awash in the colors of the Albiceleste, roared with the sound of nearly 70,000 Argentine supporters serenading their team, and their hero, in rapturous song on Tuesday night.Argentina rose to the occasion, and so did Lionel Messi, who in his 200th cap took another step towards solidifying his place as the greatest footballer in the history of the sport, scoring three splendid goals and tying Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the all-time goal scoring mark in World Cup play (16), the performance coming just hours after France’s Kylian Mbappé leapfrogged him, with 14.The Inter Miami midfielder also became the first male player to appear at six World Cups, a record that feels certain to be equalled by Cristiano Ronaldo when Portugal begin play. Messi had been recovering from a muscle injury in recent weeks but any doubt surrounding the Argentinian captain’s status was quickly wiped away when he was named to Lionel Scaloni’s starting XI, and those doubts were ancient history once the match began.Messi had very nearly nabbed Argentina’s opener just five minutes in when a through-ball found him at the near side of the box. His shot was perfectly placed, but assistant referee Tomasz Listkiewicz correctly flagged him offside by the smallest margin. Not two minutes later, Algeria winger Farès Chaïbi had an equally clinical finish waved off after finding himself offside by a similarly narrow margin.Messi wasted little time putting Argentina ahead, finding the back of the net in the 17th minute. His Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul found Messi 40 yards out, after which the former Barcelona star turned and took three touches towards goal. With no defenders in sight, his driven shot from the edge of the area was too powerful for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, glancing off his fingertips and into goal.The one negative mark on an otherwise brilliant performance came in the first half, with Messi fortunate to escape without punishment after a rash challenge in which he raked his cleats across the back of Algerian defender Aïssa Mandi’s calf. The Argentinian likely deserved a yellow, and potentially even a red. He received neither, and the play was not reviewed on the field.Messi’s second goal of the night was even more easily taken than his first. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister’s speculative effort from 30 yards was pushed away by Zidane directly into the path of Messi, who coolly slotted it home from close range in the 60th minute. Again, Algeria’s backline was nowhere to be found. Argentina, on the other hand, were excellent defensively throughout the entire match.The Argentinian legend completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute with a vintage finish, threading his strike through a trio of defenders and just out of reach of Zidane. He left the match minutes later.Both fanbases have been well-represented for days in Kansas City and nearby Lawrence, Kansas, where Algeria will be based for the entirety of their tournament. Thousands of Argentinian supporters packed a local park on Monday night for a banderazo, singing, chanting and dancing into the wee hours. The party moved Tuesday evening to the stadium, which was full of noise hours ahead of kickoff.Algeria’s supporters have been the subject of a remarkable story in Lawrence, where residents have welcomed them with open arms. Though understandably outnumbered by opposing fans, loud, vibrant pockets of green emerged from Argentina’s blue-and-white at times, urging the underdogs on.The 28th-ranked Algerians will have hoped for a happier return to the World Cup after a 12-year absence, having been revitalized under head coach Vladimir Petković. Algeria earned a reputation during qualifying for their high-energy approach, glimpses of which were present on Tuesday, particularly in the closing moments of the first half. Despite some promising exchanges, they were undone by poor finishing and never looked particularly competitive.Algeria’s encounter with Jordan now has the makings of a must-win; they feel much more evenly matched with Austria.Scaloni had tempered expectations out of Tuesday’s match in the lead-up, going as far on Monday as to say that a win against the Desert Foxes was far from necessary. Scaloni should know; he was at the helm in 2022 when Argentina narrowly lost in their group stage opener to Saudi Arabia, among the most shocking results in World Cup history.Expectations aside, Scaloni will surely be pleased with three points, which bring Argentina towards the precipice of the last 32. They’ll meet Austria in Arlington, Texas, on Monday. Messi, as is his custom, will be expected to make even more history there.