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Josh Ball

Miroslav Klose began Tuesday as the joint-leading goalscorer in World Cup history; it is only a matter of time before he drops to third on the list.
Lionel Messi’s double in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria took him to 18, two clear of the World Cup winner, while Kylian Mbappe’s double in a 3-0 win over Iraq left him level with the German.
A severe weather delay meant almost three hours passed between Mbappe’s first and second, and by the time France left the field, Norway were already one up on Senegal.
In the day’s final game, Jordan and Algeria will battle it out at 11am for the right to finish second behind Argentina in Group J, but until then, here’s what happened overnight.

A great goalscorer
Mbappe has reached 16 goals in 16 World Cup appearances, has scored 11 in his past 12 internationals, and at the age of 27 should have at least one more World Cup in his career.
The French striker’s first was a left-foot hammer from outside the box in the 14th minute that left Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil clutching at thin air. Sadly, Basil was part of a defensive disaster for the second, when Iraq tried to play out from a goal kick, Basil missed the pass, and Mbappe was left with an easy tap in.
Still, Mbappe’s brace were not the most important goals France scored. Their third marked the lifting of a significant weight from the shoulders of Ousmane Dembélé. The ballon d’or winner had played in five major tournaments for his country and never found the back of the net. His strike in the 66th minute rounded out a comfortable win for France.
In the battle for the Golden Boot, Messi leads the way having scored five in two games. He got seven in the whole of the 2022 tournament. Mbappe scored eight to win the award in Qatar, and has four this time around. Germany’s Deniz Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David are tied for third on three each.
Messi is inexorable
At this point, if you’re a mid to average team waiting to face Messi and Argentina in the World Cup, all you can do is sit down and pray he has an off day.
There was never any real danger of Austria preventing the South Americans’ march to the last 32, and Argentina will win Group J if Jordan don’t beat Algeria.
Messi even had the luxury of missing a penalty early on, but finally became the greatest goal scorer in World Cup history in the 38th minute when a sharp cross from the left by Facundo Medina was let through into Messi’s path by Thiago Almada. Messi emphatically drilled into the bottom left corner, and was then mobbed by his teammates.
He added a second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, after having an initial effort blocked.
Playing in a sixth World Cup, Monday’s match in Dallas was a record-extending 28th appearance on the global stage for Messi.
The 38-year-old scored his first goal on his tournament debut in 2006 against Serbia and the only time he didn’t find the net was in South Africa in 2010.
He has now scored 10 goals in six successive World Cup games: all four knockout matches in 2022 en route to the title, and the first two matches of the current tournament.

But not infallible
Just in case you thought there was nothing Lionel Messi can’t do, his penalty record comes along to make you realise he is human after all.
His stuttering miss against Austria in the ninth minute, after Stefan Posch’s foul on Lautaro Martinez, was his third from the spot in World Cups. No player has missed more.
His weak attempt in Dallas joins rare failures in 2022, when he had an effort saved by Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny, and in 2018, when Iceland’s Hannes Halldorsson briefly got the better of him.
“I am very happy to have achieved it all,” Messi said. “I am enjoying the moment. Five goals is wonderful. I should have converted the penalty.”
“It’s such a crucial victory, hard-fought and well-earned, but one that gives us peace of mind for what lies ahead. This is the World Cup; it was a very evenly matched, very intense match, and we’re happy to have picked up six points and to have already qualified.”
An inevitable conclusion?
Messi and Mbappe might be the individual battle we’ve all come to see, but history weighs heavily against the pair meeting in the final for a second year running.
If France do get a shot at revenge, they would be just the third side to reach three consecutive finals, after winning the 2018 tournament and losing in Qatar four years ago.
The great West Germany team of the 1980s got there first, losing back-to-back finals in 1982 and 1986, before finally winning in 1990. While Brazil won twice in 1994 and 2002, with a 1998 defeat to France in between.
Argentina, meanwhile, are bidding to become just the third team to win back-to-back titles, after Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
The South Americans had a chance to match those achievements in the 1980s, beating West Germany 3-2 in the 1986 final in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, before losing to the European giants in Rome four years later.


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Lionel Messi became the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history when he scored against Austria. Photo: AP

France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates his goal against Iraq. Photo: AP

Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after missing a penalty. Photo: Reuters

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Cabo Verde’s Kevin Pina shares the joy of scoring his country's first World Cup finals goal with team reserves in their match against Uruguay at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday. Photo: dpa

Helio Varela takes advantage of a mistake by the Uruguay keeper to score the equaliser. Photo: AFP

Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (right) thwarts another Uruguay attempt in Miami. Photo: Xinhua

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Football

Lionel Messi scores twice to become the tournament’s greatest-ever scorer, but Kylian Mbappe brace narrows the gap


Lionel Messi scores twice to become the tournament’s greatest-ever scorer, but Kylian Mbappe brace narrows the gap.


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Lionel Messi

World Cup while you were sleeping: Lionel Messi sets goal record, Mbappe strikes twice

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lionel Messi scores twice to become the tournament’s greatest-ever scorer, but Kylian Mbappe brace narrows the gap

A great goalscorer

Lionel Messi scores twice to become the tournament’s greatest-ever scorer, but Kylian Mbappe brace narrows the gap