Messi Chases World Cup Record Against Austria
Lionel Messi stands on the brink of yet another World Cup rewrite, and he does it with the clock ticking loudly on and off the pitch.
On Monday in Dallas, the 38-year-old leads Argentina against Austria knowing one more goal will take him past Miroslav Klose and into solitary possession of the all-time World Cup scoring record. He drew level with the German on 16 with a hat-trick in the 3-0 opening win over Algeria, a performance that felt part history, part catharsis.
His first goal that night brought tears. Only later did it emerge that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue. Add to that a troubled build-up dominated by a hamstring concern, and the sight of Messi not just playing, but dictating, felt like defiance.
Yet the effect on those around him remains unchanged.
“If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all,” said Alexis Mac Allister after Algeria were brushed aside.
The line summed up the mood in the Argentina camp: this is still Messi’s team, right to the end.
Argentina can book their place in the next round with a win over Austria. If Jordan fail to beat Algeria later in the day, top spot in Group J will be theirs as well. The stakes are clear, the script almost too perfect: Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, chasing immortality while dragging the world champions towards another knockout run.
Mbappe hits 100
If Messi is chasing the last lines of his World Cup story, Kylian Mbappe is busy writing the middle chapters at breakneck speed.
In Philadelphia, the France captain will make his 100th appearance for his country when they face Iraq, a milestone he has reached at just 27. He spoke about it with the kind of focus that has defined his international career.
“There is nothing bigger — one hundred is a historic figure, and to have the chance to reach that tally here at a World Cup means it will be a special match for me,” he told reporters on Sunday.
The numbers back that up. Mbappe sits on 14 World Cup goals, level with West Germany legend Gerd Mueller, after scoring twice in France’s 3-1 opening win over Senegal in Group I. Two more, and he would match Messi’s current haul. Three, and he would join the chase with Klose.
France, beaten by Argentina on penalties in that unforgettable 2022 final, are strong favourites to handle Iraq and secure early passage to the knockout phase. Thunderstorms are forecast in Philadelphia and could interrupt proceedings, but on current form it would take more than bad weather to derail Didier Deschamps’ side.
Group I could be wrapped up quickly. Norway, powered by Erling Haaland’s brace in their 4-1 victory over Iraq, will also go through if they beat Senegal in New Jersey and France do their job against the Iraqis. Haaland is still at the start of his own World Cup scoring journey; the stakes for him are different, the threat he carries just as obvious.
Spain respond, Yamal returns
Sunday brought a different kind of statement in Miami and beyond.
Spain, stung by criticism after a flat 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in their opener, responded with a ruthless 4-0 dismantling of Saudi Arabia. This looked more like European champions, less like a team second-guessing itself.
Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona prodigy making his first start in two months after a hamstring problem, opened the scoring and immediately changed the mood around La Roja. Mikel Oyarzabal added two more, before a Hassan al-Tambakti own goal completed the rout.
Luis De la Fuente did not hide what had driven his players.
“When someone questions your work, it is only human that anyone with courage and pride reacts to prove people wrong,” the Spain coach said.
Spain now sit top of Group H with four points from two games, their early stumble quickly reframed as a jolt rather than a warning sign.
Cape Verde keep dreaming
The surprise of that group, though, continues to be Cape Verde.
World Cup debutants, written off before a ball was kicked, they followed up that draw with Spain by taking a point off Uruguay in a 2-2 thriller in Miami. It was not a smash-and-grab; it was a team playing with conviction and ambition on the biggest stage.
Coach Bubista did not play down what it means.
“We want to show the entire world that we are in the condition to fight for qualification, and I think that that’s what we showed in today’s match,” he said.
Cape Verde now sit within touching distance of the unthinkable: a place in the knockout rounds. For a squad built outside the traditional power structures of the game, every minute they spend alive in this tournament shifts the narrative a little more.
Belgium stall, Iran speak
Elsewhere, Belgium’s World Cup continues to stutter.
A second straight draw, this time 0-0 against Iran in Los Angeles, leaves the Red Devils still searching for their first win in Group G after also being held by Egypt. They finished with 10 men and never really solved a disciplined Iranian defence that refused to be dragged out of shape.
Iran’s presence here carries its own weight. The team is competing while their country and the United States are in negotiations to end their war, a backdrop that framed everything they did in Los Angeles.
After the match, the Iranian squad left a handwritten message in the dressing room at Los Angeles Stadium: “may peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
“Thank you, Los Angeles for your hospitality. And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes,” the message read. “We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honour, and left with dignity. May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
On a day when Messi chased records, Mbappe eyed milestones, and Cape Verde stretched the limits of possibility, those words cut through the noise. The World Cup keeps hurtling forward, but the questions it poses — about legacy, about power, about what football can say to the world — are only getting sharper.
