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Lionel Messi ties Klose’s World Cup goals record with his first hat trick as Argentina tops Algeria

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.

Argentina is defending its World Cup title, and its fans are more obsessed than ever

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.

Kylian Mbappé sparks France with 2 goals in 3-1 win over Senegal at the World Cup

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.

Erling Haaland scores twice in World Cup debut as Norway tops Iraq 4-1

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.

US official says Iran knew team would have to leave the country shortly after World Cup match

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.

‘We’re American. We don’t take s—.’ US says Pochettino instilled strong mentality for World Cup

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.

Scheffler is chasing a career Grand Slam at the US Open. It’s not what motivates him

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.

Authorities say they disrupted planned drone, gun attack on White House UFC cage-fighting show

WASHINGTON (AP) — Court papers say law enforcement officials disrupted a planned attack targeting the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend. Papers unsealed Tuesday say plotters spoke of flying explosives-laden drones and shooting panicked crowd members as they fled. The documents reveal the FBI obtained encrypted text messages showing roughly 20 people sharing detailed maps of the area and discussing the need for a “safe house” and escape routes after the attack. It’s unclear from court records how close the would-be attackers came to being able to carry out their plan, which was thwarted last week. The FBI says among those arrested was a 19-year-old Ohio man.

What score indicates a tough test in the US Open? The modern standard suggests under par

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Arnold Palmer once said a score of 280 always wins the U.S. Open. That was in 1960 when he made his famous charge at Cherry Hills, and somewhere around even par always felt like the standard. But the level of play in golf has increased mightily over 60 years, just like other sports. What always wins the U.S. Open? Shinnecock Hills should be under the spotlight this week because it’s one of America’s toughest courses and wind is a factor. But some past major champions believe that a winning score from 5 to 10 under is enough to indicate it’s a tough test.

Messi has his first World Cup hat trick as defending champion Argentina beats Algeria 3-0 in opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi registered his first World Cup hat trick and moved into a tie for first on the tournament’s career scoring list in a brilliant performance against Algeria on Tuesday night. He led the defending champions to a 3-0 victory in their group-stage opener. Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes, added a second early in the second half, and completed the hat trick moments before subbing out. The goals came 20 years to the day after his World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Argentina got off to a better start than the last World Cup, where it lost its opener to Saudi Arabia.