KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June ⁠16 (Reuters) - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he is no longer ⁠surprised by the "inexplicable" feats of Lionel Messi after he ‌scored all three goals in their 3-0 win over Algeria at the World Cup on Tuesday.

Messi's hat-trick at Kansas City Stadium saw him equal the all-time men's ​World Cup scoring record of 16 goals, ⁠drawing level with Germany's Miroslav ⁠Klose.

Earning his 200th cap, the 38-year-old became the first man to ⁠compete ‌in six World Cups and the oldest to score a hat-trick in the tournament's history — exactly 20 years to ⁠the day since his first goal on the ​global stage.

While the ‌victory was a boost to Argentina's hopes of successfully defending ⁠their title, Scaloni ​said there was no room for complacency.

"This team knows that anyone can beat us," he added. "If you get a little overconfident, any opponent ⁠can win. In this World Cup, strange ​and difficult things are happening. If we do things right it will be hard to beat us."

Scaloni attributed the victory to the squad's ⁠chemistry, noting that the bond between teammates is what pulls them through when things become difficult.

The result means Argentina have avoided the opening-match stumbles of their 2018 and 2022 campaigns and they now ​turn their attention to their next match ⁠against Austria in Arlington, Texas on June 22.

"There is a long way ​to go to try to reach the ‌end," Scaloni said. "But it is always ​good to start by winning; that undoubtedly strengthens everything."

(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)