Messi Breaks World Cup Scoring Record as Mbappé and Haaland Shine

World Cup action on Monday night produced standout performances from three of the game’s biggest stars, plus a dramatic turnaround in an Arab derby. Lionel Messi led Argentina into the next round, Kylian Mbappé kept climbing the all-time scoring charts, and Erling Haaland powered Norway to a valuable win over Senegal.

Argentina beat Austria 2-0 and clinched a place in the knockout stage, but the headline belonged to Messi. The 39-year-old missed a penalty in the 10th minute, then scored twice. His first goal came in the 38th minute, and he completed his brace in stoppage time after pouncing on a rebound. That lifted him to 18 World Cup goals, making him the tournament’s all-time top scorer. Argentina has opened the tournament with two wins and no goals conceded.

France defeated Iraq 3-0 in a match that entered the record books after being halted for about two hours because of lightning. Mbappé scored twice, taking his World Cup total to 16 and moving ahead of Brazil’s Ronaldo in the tournament’s historical scoring list. He is now just two goals behind Messi’s new record.

Haaland also scored twice in Norway’s 3-2 win over Senegal in Group 9. Marcus Pedersen gave Norway the lead before halftime, Haaland struck twice early in the second half, and Ismaïla Sarr only managed to pull one back for Senegal. The result sets up a major next-round clash with France for first place in the group. Earlier, Algeria came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1 in the Arab derby. Nizar Al Rashdan put Jordan ahead in the 36th minute, Nadir Benboulai equalized in the 69th, and Aymen Gouiri completed the comeback in the 82nd minute, eliminating Jordan from the tournament.