Mbappe Fires France Into Knockout Stage; Sets Sights On Messi’s New World Record
France Reach Knockout After 3-0 Win; Mbappe Scores Twice In His 100th International Match, While Haaland Leads Norway To Victory
PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK: Two crucial Group I matches were played in the FIFA World Cup, with France defeating Iraq 3-0 in a one-sided contest and Norway beating Senegal 3-2 in a thrilling encounter to secure places in the knockout round. Earlier, Argentina had also advanced to the knockout stage on Monday night thanks to two goals from Lionel Messi. A total of 32 teams will compete in the knockout round, while 16 teams will have been eliminated from the tournament before that stage begins.
Mbappé Equals Miroslav Klose’s 16 Goals
France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq featured two goals from Kylian Mbappé. It was his 100th international appearance. He scored in the 14th minute and added another goal in the 54th minute.
With those strikes, Mbappé now has a total of 16 goals in World Cup history. On Monday night, Messi broke German legend Miroslav Klose’s world record of 16 World Cup goals. Just a day later, Mbappé matched Klose’s tally of 16 goals and moved within striking distance of Messi’s new record.
In the rain-affected match against Iraq, France’s third goal was scored by Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé in the 66th minute. France’s strong defensive display prevented Iraq’s attackers from scoring even once.
Norway Reach Knockout Stage After 28 Years
In the other Group I match, defender Marcus Pedersen broke through Senegal’s defence to score the opening goal in the 43rd minute.
After Norway took a 1-0 lead, Erling Haaland doubled the advantage in the 48th minute to make it 2-0. Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr pulled one back in the 53rd minute, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
However, just five minutes later, Haaland struck again in the 58th minute to restore Norway’s two-goal cushion at 3-1. Sarr scored his second goal in the third minute of stoppage time (93rd minute), making the score 3-2.
No further goals were scored in the closing moments, allowing Norway to secure a 3-2 victory and advance to the knockout round. Senegal, meanwhile, are now on the verge of elimination from the World Cup.
Ronaldo’s Portugal in Action Today
According to Indian time, Portugal will face Uzbekistan tonight at 10:30 PM. Christiano Ronaldo failed to score in Portugal’s previous match, so all eyes will once again be on the legendary forward.
Algeria Beat Jordan 2-1
In Group J, Algeria defeated Jordan 2-1 to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 32-team knockout stage.
Argentina have already secured qualification from the group.