Messi breaks 17-goal World Cup record as Mbappé and Haaland each score twice

Lionel Messi rewrote the World Cup record books on Monday, June 22, becoming the first player in history to score 17 goals at the tournament as Argentina defeated Austria. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland each added two-goal performances of their own on a day dominated by the sport’s biggest names.

Argentina vs Austria

Messi’s brace against Austria moved him to 17 World Cup goals, a mark no man has ever reached. He also became only the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho, and the fourth to score five goals in his first two games of a single tournament — a list that includes Sandor Kocsis (1954), Fontaine (1958) and Harry Kane (2018).

The Argentina captain has now taken more penalties (7) and missed more (3) than any player in World Cup history. Monday’s miss was notable for a different reason: it was the first time he had failed to put a spot-kick on target or have it saved. Argentina’s victory also gave Messi 18 World Cup wins in his career, moving him past Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 17.

France vs Iraq

Mbappé’s double against Iraq lifted his World Cup tally to 16 goals, drawing him level with Klose for second place on the all-time men’s list — behind only Messi. The France forward also extended his own record with his sixth multi-goal game at the tournament.

Off the scoresheet, Mbappé became the fourth-youngest European player to reach 100 national-team appearances, behind Sergio Ramos, Lukas Podolski and Kristen Viikmäe. France have now won their opening two group games at each of the last four World Cups. Iraq remain winless all-time at the tournament, falling to 0-0-5 with a combined score of 11-2 against them across those five matches.

Norway vs Senegal

Erling Haaland scored twice against Senegal to take his World Cup tally to three goals and his overall Norway record to 59 goals in 52 appearances. He has now scored in 12 consecutive competitive appearances for his country and found the net in 18 of his last 21 competitive international games.

Haaland became only the sixth player to score more than once in each of his first two World Cup appearances, and just the second to do so in the past 50 years after Kane in 2018. For Senegal, conceding three goals was only the third time that has happened to them at a World Cup. Ismaïla Sarr scored twice for Senegal — his first World Cup goals — to bring his international tally to 20.

Jordan vs Algeria

Algeria claimed their first World Cup victory in exactly 12 years, with their previous win having come on June 22, 2014 against South Korea.