Argentina captain Lionel Messi, France forward Kylian Mbappé, and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland all delivered masterclass performances on the same day at the ongoing World Cup tournament. Haaland scored a brace for Norway within the first 15 minutes of the second half to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Senegal at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Manchester City forward bounced back stronger in the second period after hitting the post and missing a crucial header just before the halftime break. His outstanding performance came just hours after Messi scored twice for Argentina against Austria, while Mbappé similarly netted a brace to guide France past Iraq.
Reacting to the performance, Norway teammate Kristian Thorstvedt described Haaland as a big-game player who lives for such high-stakes moments. The forward, who is roughly a month away from celebrating his 26th birthday, is proving he can compete at the highest level despite playing for a nation without a rich championship pedigree or history. Commenting on Haaland's unique position, Norway coach Ståle Solbakken stated, “He is the best striker,” adding through an interpreter, “He is not playing for France or Argentina. He scores for Norway.” The three global icons have now collectively scored 13 goals in the tournament, with Messi leading the Golden Boot race with five goals, while Mbappé and Haaland trail closely with four goals each. Iraq coach Graham Arnold has already predicted that the race for the Golden Boot will be a highly competitive affair among the trio.
Solbakken acknowledged the structural advantage enjoyed by Haaland's rivals, noting, “It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina,” before adding, “But we’ll try to give Erling more games and more help in the next games.” In Arlington, Texas, Messi wrote his name further into football folklore by becoming the all-time career scoring leader in World Cup history with 18 goals following Argentina's triumph over Austria. Meanwhile, Mbappé moved his career tally to 16 World Cup goals, tying former German record-holder Miroslav Klose, after inspiring France to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iraq in Philadelphia.
Unlike his experienced peers, Haaland is participating in his maiden World Cup tournament, as Norway last qualified for the global showpiece in 1998, which was two years before the striker was born. Expressing his excitement, Haaland stated, “Let’s be happy, every single Norwegian on the planet,” adding, “I’m part of something special. Norway’s part of something special. We’re making history.” The lethal forward has now found the back of the net in 12 consecutive competitive fixtures for his country, racking up 24 goals over that incredible stretch. The records show that the last time the striker failed to score in a competitive match for Norway was on October 13, 2024. Commenting on his current form, Solbakken remarked, “He’s on fire,” adding, “I’m very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage.”
Despite having the fewest touches of any player on the pitch in the first half due to tight marking from the African opposition, Haaland completely turned the game around after the interval on a rain-soaked surface. Reflecting on the challenge of defending the striker, Senegal's Ismail Jakobs noted, “He’s one of the best strikers in the world,” adding, “We used part of the game making some things very difficult to start with (for him), as you could see.” Haaland opened his account during a swift four-on-two counterattack before sealing his brace by firing a right-footed strike off the crossbar and into the net. He celebrated by gesturing to the large contingent of red-clad Norwegian supporters who chanted "Nor-ge! Nor-ge!" and performed their traditional Viking rowing celebration in the stands. When asked to explain his goal-scoring prowess, Haaland stated, “I don't know,” adding, “It’s my specialty to score goals. It’s like many other things: I’m just really good at scoring goals, and I’m quite lucky. I don’t know what I’m doing, but yeah. That’s just how it is.”
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