Messi Hat-Trick, Mbappé Brilliance and Haaland's Debut Light Up World Cup Openers
Four matches were played overnight Tuesday to Wednesday at the 2026 World Cup, and the opening night produced several standout performances. Two of the tournament favorites began strongly with convincing wins, as France beat Senegal 3-1 behind a brilliant display from Kylian Mbappé, while reigning world champions Argentina crushed Algeria 3-0 thanks to an iconic hat-trick by Lionel Messi in his 200th appearance for the national team.
Austria also made a successful return to the World Cup, reaching three goals in a 3-1 comeback win over stubborn Jordan. It was Austria's first tournament appearance in 28 years, making the result a memorable comeback to the global stage.
In the fourth match, Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut in style, scoring twice to lead Norway to a dominant 4-1 victory over Iraq. The report, published by Sport 5 on 17 June 2026 at 11:00, described the night as historic and featured video highlights from all four games.
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