It’s day seven at the World Cup, and after we witnessed a sensational night in which Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland lit up the tournament, you can follow live updates and catch up on the action with ESPN.
England’s quest for a second star on the shirt begins tonight as they take on Croatia, in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup semifinal as the Three Lions look to get off to a winning start in Group L.
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Messi opened Argentina’s title defence with a masterclass against Algeria as he bagged a hat trick to equal former Germany striker Miroslav Klose as the leading World Cup scorer with 16 goals.
The Argentine talisman’s hat trick was his first at a World Cup, as he pulled the strings in Kansas City to steal the headlines.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé broke a record for France as his double against Senegal made him the nation’s outright top scorer, surpassing Olivier Giroud with 58 goals.
After the 2018 champions registered only one shot and none on target in the first half while facing waves of pressure from Senegal, Michael Olise inspired a second-half surge, providing Mbappé with a sensational assist in the 66th minute.
Then, it took Bradley Barcola just two minutes from coming on to guide in a superb finish and despite a late reply from the African nation, Mbappé struck from distance to wrap up a 3-1 win.
Erling Haaland shone on his World Cup debut with goals either side of Aymen Hussein’s goal for Iraq, before Leo ØstigÃ¥rd applied the third, to kickstart Norway’s return to the World Cup in 28 years in emphatic fashion. An unfortunate Hussein turned into his own net deep into stoppage time, as Norway triumphed 4-1 on the night.
Meanwhile, Austria overcame Jordan with a 3-1 win to mark their first World Cup victory in 36 years.
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