De Paul gave Argentina the Austria clue Messi's hat trick could not

Messi made the opener feel settled. Rodrigo De Paul made it feel repeatable.

That is the useful distinction after Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria. The hat trick, the Klose record and the sixth World Cup appearance are all real stories, but FIFA's newest Argentina piece puts the quieter part of the performance in focus: De Paul was still policing standards in the 87th minute, long after the score had stopped being in doubt, and his own read was that the result was kinder to Argentina than the game had been. 1

For Austria, that matters more than another lap around the record book. Argentina can top Group J with a win over Austria if Jordan do not beat Algeria, according to FIFA's qualification route update. 2 That gives Scaloni a clean incentive: do not chase a prettier version of the Algeria game. Keep the part that made it controllable.

The interesting part is that De Paul's value did not come from one clean category. FIFA described him holding his right-sided position to help first Gonzalo Montiel and then Nahuel Molina against Algeria's left flank of Rayan Ait-Nouri and Fares Chaibi. 1 That is not the glamorous Messi-adjacent version of De Paul. It is the reason the Messi-adjacent version can survive a tournament.

The highlight version is simple enough: De Paul found Messi for the opener with a through-ball that FIFA said took five Algerian players out of the move. 1 That pass belongs in every recap.

The more important part for Austria is what surrounded it. De Paul picked out Messi nine times, more than any Argentina player except Alexis Mac Allister, and kept providing the passing lanes that let Messi receive in useful areas rather than dropping into traffic just to touch the ball. 1

That is the mechanism Argentina need if Austria press with real nerve. Messi can still decide a match, but he cannot be asked to solve every messy buildup by himself. De Paul's job is to make the first touch for Messi less expensive: show, shift, cover, pass early, and then recover if the move breaks.

Scaloni's public backing matters here. FIFA quoted him saying Argentina do not care what league De Paul plays in, only whether he performs, and that De Paul is a game changer when he plays with this intensity. 1 That is about more than defending a veteran. It is a clue about the hierarchy of trust for the next team sheet.

ESPN's post-match report had the headline numbers: Messi's hat trick brought him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 men's World Cup goals, made him the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick, and came on the night he became the first player to appear in six World Cups. 3

But Argentina's own messaging keeps pulling away from individual history. ESPN quoted De Paul saying Messi does not care about individual records and prioritises the group. 4 Messi told ESPN he feels good, prepared himself physically to match his teammates, and is enjoying competing rather than thinking about a seventh World Cup. 4

That changes how to read the next few days. The question is not whether Messi can chase more numbers against Austria. The question is whether Argentina can keep him close enough to goal, protected enough in transition and rested enough across three group games to let the numbers come naturally.

TyC's fixture guide confirms the next step in the group path: after Algeria, Argentina's next opponent is Austria at Dallas Stadium, with Jordan still to come in the third group match. 5 FIFA's schedule page also lists Argentina-Austria at Dallas Stadium in Group J. 6 The opponent is no longer a line on the bracket. It is the match that can turn a dramatic opener into early group control.

The likely selection debate will still focus on full-backs, left-side balance and whether to freshen the forward line. That is fair. Austria's opening win over Jordan means Argentina are facing a team with the same points total, not a side already chasing damage control. 6

Still, the De Paul evidence narrows the bigger question. Argentina do not just need legs. They need legs that understand when to close a lane, when to give Messi the ball early and when to kill a counter before it becomes a defensive emergency.

That is why the 87th-minute scene in FIFA's report lands. De Paul clearing into the stands and demanding more bite from a younger teammate is not a cute veteran anecdote. It is Argentina's tournament standard in miniature: even at 3-0, even after Messi leaves, the game is still being managed.

If Scaloni gets that version again against Austria, Argentina's next match becomes much simpler. Messi can remain the headline. De Paul can keep doing the work that makes the headline feel sustainable.