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PHILADELPHIA | Xinhua | Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scored twice on Monday, turning the World Cup Golden Boot race into a showdown among three of football’s biggest stars.
Messi, two days shy of his 39th birthday, struck both goals in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas Stadium, taking his career World Cup tally to a record 18. The Argentina captain now leads the tournament scoring chart with five goals from two matches.
Hours later in Philadelphia, Mbappe followed suit, scoring twice as France beat Iraq 3-0 despite a nearly two-hour thunderstorm delay at halftime. The France captain, making his 100th international appearance, moved to 16 World Cup goals across three tournaments, drawing level with former record holder Miroslav Klose.
At New York New Jersey Stadium, Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Senegal 3-2 to secure a place in the round of 32. Playing in his first World Cup, the 25-year-old now has four goals in two matches, level with Mbappe and one behind Messi in the Golden Boot standings.
Mbappe, however, played down comparisons with Messi after France’s victory over Iraq.
“Leo always scores goals and always will. So I am not looking at what he is doing. I’m just focusing on helping my team,” Mbappe said.
France coach Didier Deschamps said his captain had every chance to rewrite the record books.
“Records are there to be broken,” Deschamps said after Mbappe drew level with former record holder Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
Haaland has emerged as a genuine challenger in the race. Norway’s last World Cup appearance came in 1998, two years before Haaland was born, making this the striker’s first World Cup campaign.
With more matches still to be played, the battle for the Golden Boot remains wide open, with Messi, Mbappe and Haaland all in the hunt. ■
