by Craig Laycock
Original article:
Argentina 2 - 0 Austria
France 3 - 0 Iraq
Norway 3 - 2 Senegal
Jordan 1 - 2 Algeria
Once again, the stars of world football turned up in force to light up the competition, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring braces. Messi could have scored three, were it not for a missed penalty.
On what proved to be a historic day, Messi achieved the legendary record of greatest ever World Cup goalscorer, with 18 goals to his name across six tournaments. He also is now level with Maradona for the highest number of all-time assists in the World Cup.
Chasing him down were Mbappe and Haaland, each with their own hopes of winning the Golden Boot.
The day’s highlights:
Argentina beat Austria 2-0, with Messi getting on the scoresheet twice to move them up to 6 points, topping the group.
Thunderstorms delayed proceedings in the France v Iraq game. Kylian Mbappe got France off to a flyer in the 14th minute, only for half time to be interrupted by thunderstorms and the game to be delayed for two hours. After resuming, it was decided to forego the hydration break for the second half. France went on to knock Iraq out of the competition with two further goals in the second half.
Erling Haaland scored twice to send Norway to the last 32 of the competition, and consigned Senegal to the cusp of elimination after two games. An entertaining game ended 3-2 to Norway.
Algeria came from behind to eliminate Jordan from the competition, winning by two goals to one.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Again, we learned that the stars are here to shine. Any team up against the likes of Haaland, Mbappe and Messi has found it difficult to make an impact in their groups, showing that star power is still very much a valid formula when it comes to building a winning World Cup team.
The tussle between Messi, Haaland, Mbappe and others is proving to be enthralling. Can Harry Kane respond and find himself back in the equation tomorrow?
***
Argentina v Austria
In today’s battle of the teams beginning with “A”, many of the questions surrounding the game were about Lionel Messi. Was his first game at the tournament a flash in the pan? A final hurrah?
Evidently not, as Messi scored two here and could have had a third had he not missed a penalty. Now clear at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscorer chart, he looks invigorated by the fight to stay ahead of Mbappe on his own terms.
It’s almost impossible to recall these days, but ten years ago Messi retired from international football. Now, about to turn 39, he’s putting in imperious performance after imperious performance, staying ahead of strikers in their prime. He is a force of nature. A magician.
The game itself was relatively unremarkable. Austria came at Argentina with their familiar press, but looked unable to conjure the kind of ideas that might have disarmed Argentina’s attack fully, and aside from a couple of chances, never looked too likely to score.
A free kick from Marcel Sabitzer was probably their best chance, but Emiliano Martinez pushed it away with confidence to keep a clean sheet.
Messi’s two goals were of varying quality. His first, a confident finish inside the box. His second, a scrappy goal where he fired through the gaps between tired Austria defenders, whose calamitous coordination left an opening.
Either way, they were goals. And he remains top of the race for the Golden Boot.
***
France v Iraq
Iraq were powerless to resist the individual attacking quality France had on show, with Kylian Mbappe chasing down Messi’s new record already. He now has 16 goals in world cups to Messi’s 18.
The killer combination of Mbappe - Olise - Dembele showed that France remain a force to be reckoned with in the competition.
France got off to a flyer with a 14th minute Mbappe goal. The first half hydration break allowed Iraq to regroup somewhat, and they managed to work their way back into the game a little. But as half time (and the thunder clouds) grew closer, there was an ominous sense that France still had another level to click into.
If anyone was worried they wouldn’t do that because of the waterlogged conditions, they needn’t have. After a two hour wait, France came out for the second half with conviction, although their second goal was a gift thanks to a defensive mix up between keeper Ahmed Basil and defender Zaid Tahseen. Dembele pounced, passed to Mbappe and the lethal striker knew what he had to do, converting with a tidy finish.
France could have won by 4 or 5, but in the end had to settle for 3 with a strike into the bottom corner courtesy of Dembele, assisted by Olise.
Any team in the world would crave an attack like theirs. The question is, who can stop it?
***
Norway v Senegal
An engaging start to this match left Norway looking the slightly better of the two teams in the opening salvos, although Senegal remained a threat throughout.
In the end, it took a mistake from Senegal to break the deadlock. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly had a moment he’ll want to forget when he cleared the ball horrendously into the path of Norway’s Marcus Pedersen, who duly converted.
Soon after that, it was two, and guess who scored? Erling Haaland, of course. He latched onto a well judged through ball from Odegaard to hammer home and double the lead. But Senegal refused to be beaten, pulling back a goal through Ismaila Sarr.
Haaland wasn’t having that, and made it 3-1 soon after. Senegal, however, were not giving up the fight. That man Ismaila Sarr was back in business, scoring in injury time to set up a tense ending to the match.
Norway held on for a deserved win, the 3-2 scoreline meaning that they are certain to progress from Group I alongside France. An incredible achievement, and a team to keep a close eye on in the Round of 32. Few will want to face Haaland with the form he’s in.
***
Jordan v Algeria
Jordan will be heading home after the group stage, as defeat against Algeria means it is now impossible for them to advance, even if they finish 3rd by beating Argentina next, by virtue of their head-to-head record against Algeria.
The result also confirmed that Argentina will win the group, and therefore the upcoming Argentina-Jordan match is essentially a dead rubber.
Jordan took the lead in the first half of this game as they looked to hit Algeria repeatedly on the transition, successfully. Nizar Al-Rashdan scored a low finish on the 36 minute mark.
But Algeria were never really down and out, and came back into the game through two well-executed corners, again showing their importance at this World Cup. Nadir Benbouali scored in the 69th minute and Amine Gouiri completed the comeback in the 82nd minute.
***
Well, it’s England next, so I’m off to crack open a vat of vindaloo.
Bring on day 13!
15 min read
Argentina 2 - 0 Austria
France 3 - 0 Iraq
Norway 3 - 2 Senegal
Jordan 1 - 2 Algeria
Once again, the stars of world football turned up in force to light up the competition, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring braces. Messi could have scored three, were it not for a missed penalty.
On what proved to be a historic day, Messi achieved the legendary record of greatest ever World Cup goalscorer, with 18 goals to his name across six tournaments. He also is now level with Maradona for the highest number of all-time assists in the World Cup.
Chasing him down were Mbappe and Haaland, each with their own hopes of winning the Golden Boot.
The day’s highlights:
Argentina beat Austria 2-0, with Messi getting on the scoresheet twice to move them up to 6 points, topping the group.
Thunderstorms delayed proceedings in the France v Iraq game. Kylian Mbappe got France off to a flyer in the 14th minute, only for half time to be interrupted by thunderstorms and the game to be delayed for two hours. After resuming, it was decided to forego the hydration break for the second half. France went on to knock Iraq out of the competition with two further goals in the second half.
Erling Haaland scored twice to send Norway to the last 32 of the competition, and consigned Senegal to the cusp of elimination after two games. An entertaining game ended 3-2 to Norway.
Algeria came from behind to eliminate Jordan from the competition, winning by two goals to one.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Again, we learned that the stars are here to shine. Any team up against the likes of Haaland, Mbappe and Messi has found it difficult to make an impact in their groups, showing that star power is still very much a valid formula when it comes to building a winning World Cup team.
The tussle between Messi, Haaland, Mbappe and others is proving to be enthralling. Can Harry Kane respond and find himself back in the equation tomorrow?
***
Argentina v Austria
In today’s battle of the teams beginning with “A”, many of the questions surrounding the game were about Lionel Messi. Was his first game at the tournament a flash in the pan? A final hurrah?
Evidently not, as Messi scored two here and could have had a third had he not missed a penalty. Now clear at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscorer chart, he looks invigorated by the fight to stay ahead of Mbappe on his own terms.
It’s almost impossible to recall these days, but ten years ago Messi retired from international football. Now, about to turn 39, he’s putting in imperious performance after imperious performance, staying ahead of strikers in their prime. He is a force of nature. A magician.
The game itself was relatively unremarkable. Austria came at Argentina with their familiar press, but looked unable to conjure the kind of ideas that might have disarmed Argentina’s attack fully, and aside from a couple of chances, never looked too likely to score.
A free kick from Marcel Sabitzer was probably their best chance, but Emiliano Martinez pushed it away with confidence to keep a clean sheet.
Messi’s two goals were of varying quality. His first, a confident finish inside the box. His second, a scrappy goal where he fired through the gaps between tired Austria defenders, whose calamitous coordination left an opening.
Either way, they were goals. And he remains top of the race for the Golden Boot.
***
France v Iraq
Iraq were powerless to resist the individual attacking quality France had on show, with Kylian Mbappe chasing down Messi’s new record already. He now has 16 goals in world cups to Messi’s 18.
The killer combination of Mbappe - Olise - Dembele showed that France remain a force to be reckoned with in the competition.
France got off to a flyer with a 14th minute Mbappe goal. The first half hydration break allowed Iraq to regroup somewhat, and they managed to work their way back into the game a little. But as half time (and the thunder clouds) grew closer, there was an ominous sense that France still had another level to click into.
If anyone was worried they wouldn’t do that because of the waterlogged conditions, they needn’t have. After a two hour wait, France came out for the second half with conviction, although their second goal was a gift thanks to a defensive mix up between keeper Ahmed Basil and defender Zaid Tahseen. Dembele pounced, passed to Mbappe and the lethal striker knew what he had to do, converting with a tidy finish.
France could have won by 4 or 5, but in the end had to settle for 3 with a strike into the bottom corner courtesy of Dembele, assisted by Olise.
Any team in the world would crave an attack like theirs. The question is, who can stop it?
***
Norway v Senegal
An engaging start to this match left Norway looking the slightly better of the two teams in the opening salvos, although Senegal remained a threat throughout.
In the end, it took a mistake from Senegal to break the deadlock. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly had a moment he’ll want to forget when he cleared the ball horrendously into the path of Norway’s Marcus Pedersen, who duly converted.
Soon after that, it was two, and guess who scored? Erling Haaland, of course. He latched onto a well judged through ball from Odegaard to hammer home and double the lead. But Senegal refused to be beaten, pulling back a goal through Ismaila Sarr.
Haaland wasn’t having that, and made it 3-1 soon after. Senegal, however, were not giving up the fight. That man Ismaila Sarr was back in business, scoring in injury time to set up a tense ending to the match.
Norway held on for a deserved win, the 3-2 scoreline meaning that they are certain to progress from Group I alongside France. An incredible achievement, and a team to keep a close eye on in the Round of 32. Few will want to face Haaland with the form he’s in.
***
Jordan v Algeria
Jordan will be heading home after the group stage, as defeat against Algeria means it is now impossible for them to advance, even if they finish 3rd by beating Argentina next, by virtue of their head-to-head record against Algeria.
The result also confirmed that Argentina will win the group, and therefore the upcoming Argentina-Jordan match is essentially a dead rubber.
Jordan took the lead in the first half of this game as they looked to hit Algeria repeatedly on the transition, successfully. Nizar Al-Rashdan scored a low finish on the 36 minute mark.
But Algeria were never really down and out, and came back into the game through two well-executed corners, again showing their importance at this World Cup. Nadir Benbouali scored in the 69th minute and Amine Gouiri completed the comeback in the 82nd minute.
***
Well, it’s England next, so I’m off to crack open a vat of vindaloo.
Bring on day 13!
Day 12: Superstar finishing school
Messi-anic.
Original article:
Last updated:
Argentina 2 - 0 Austria
France 3 - 0 Iraq
Norway 3 - 2 Senegal
Jordan 1 - 2 Algeria
Once again, the stars of world football turned up in force to light up the competition, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring braces. Messi could have scored three, were it not for a missed penalty.
On what proved to be a historic day, Messi achieved the legendary record of greatest ever World Cup goalscorer, with 18 goals to his name across six tournaments. He also is now level with Maradona for the highest number of all-time assists in the World Cup.
Chasing him down were Mbappe and Haaland, each with their own hopes of winning the Golden Boot.
The day’s highlights:
Argentina beat Austria 2-0, with Messi getting on the scoresheet twice to move them up to 6 points, topping the group.
Thunderstorms delayed proceedings in the France v Iraq game. Kylian Mbappe got France off to a flyer in the 14th minute, only for half time to be interrupted by thunderstorms and the game to be delayed for two hours. After resuming, it was decided to forego the hydration break for the second half. France went on to knock Iraq out of the competition with two further goals in the second half.
Erling Haaland scored twice to send Norway to the last 32 of the competition, and consigned Senegal to the cusp of elimination after two games. An entertaining game ended 3-2 to Norway.
Algeria came from behind to eliminate Jordan from the competition, winning by two goals to one.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Again, we learned that the stars are here to shine. Any team up against the likes of Haaland, Mbappe and Messi has found it difficult to make an impact in their groups, showing that star power is still very much a valid formula when it comes to building a winning World Cup team.
The tussle between Messi, Haaland, Mbappe and others is proving to be enthralling. Can Harry Kane respond and find himself back in the equation tomorrow?
***
Argentina v Austria
In today’s battle of the teams beginning with “A”, many of the questions surrounding the game were about Lionel Messi. Was his first game at the tournament a flash in the pan? A final hurrah?
Evidently not, as Messi scored two here and could have had a third had he not missed a penalty. Now clear at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscorer chart, he looks invigorated by the fight to stay ahead of Mbappe on his own terms.
It’s almost impossible to recall these days, but ten years ago Messi retired from international football. Now, about to turn 39, he’s putting in imperious performance after imperious performance, staying ahead of strikers in their prime. He is a force of nature. A magician.
The game itself was relatively unremarkable. Austria came at Argentina with their familiar press, but looked unable to conjure the kind of ideas that might have disarmed Argentina’s attack fully, and aside from a couple of chances, never looked too likely to score.
A free kick from Marcel Sabitzer was probably their best chance, but Emiliano Martinez pushed it away with confidence to keep a clean sheet.
Messi’s two goals were of varying quality. His first, a confident finish inside the box. His second, a scrappy goal where he fired through the gaps between tired Austria defenders, whose calamitous coordination left an opening.
Either way, they were goals. And he remains top of the race for the Golden Boot.
***
France v Iraq
Iraq were powerless to resist the individual attacking quality France had on show, with Kylian Mbappe chasing down Messi’s new record already. He now has 16 goals in world cups to Messi’s 18.
The killer combination of Mbappe - Olise - Dembele showed that France remain a force to be reckoned with in the competition.
France got off to a flyer with a 14th minute Mbappe goal. The first half hydration break allowed Iraq to regroup somewhat, and they managed to work their way back into the game a little. But as half time (and the thunder clouds) grew closer, there was an ominous sense that France still had another level to click into.
If anyone was worried they wouldn’t do that because of the waterlogged conditions, they needn’t have. After a two hour wait, France came out for the second half with conviction, although their second goal was a gift thanks to a defensive mix up between keeper Ahmed Basil and defender Zaid Tahseen. Dembele pounced, passed to Mbappe and the lethal striker knew what he had to do, converting with a tidy finish.
France could have won by 4 or 5, but in the end had to settle for 3 with a strike into the bottom corner courtesy of Dembele, assisted by Olise.
Any team in the world would crave an attack like theirs. The question is, who can stop it?
***
Norway v Senegal
An engaging start to this match left Norway looking the slightly better of the two teams in the opening salvos, although Senegal remained a threat throughout.
In the end, it took a mistake from Senegal to break the deadlock. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly had a moment he’ll want to forget when he cleared the ball horrendously into the path of Norway’s Marcus Pedersen, who duly converted.
Soon after that, it was two, and guess who scored? Erling Haaland, of course. He latched onto a well judged through ball from Odegaard to hammer home and double the lead. But Senegal refused to be beaten, pulling back a goal through Ismaila Sarr.
Haaland wasn’t having that, and made it 3-1 soon after. Senegal, however, were not giving up the fight. That man Ismaila Sarr was back in business, scoring in injury time to set up a tense ending to the match.
Norway held on for a deserved win, the 3-2 scoreline meaning that they are certain to progress from Group I alongside France. An incredible achievement, and a team to keep a close eye on in the Round of 32. Few will want to face Haaland with the form he’s in.
***
Jordan v Algeria
Jordan will be heading home after the group stage, as defeat against Algeria means it is now impossible for them to advance, even if they finish 3rd by beating Argentina next, by virtue of their head-to-head record against Algeria.
The result also confirmed that Argentina will win the group, and therefore the upcoming Argentina-Jordan match is essentially a dead rubber.
Jordan took the lead in the first half of this game as they looked to hit Algeria repeatedly on the transition, successfully. Nizar Al-Rashdan scored a low finish on the 36 minute mark.
But Algeria were never really down and out, and came back into the game through two well-executed corners, again showing their importance at this World Cup. Nadir Benbouali scored in the 69th minute and Amine Gouiri completed the comeback in the 82nd minute.
***
Well, it’s England next, so I’m off to crack open a vat of vindaloo.
Bring on day 13!
15 min read
Day 12: Superstar finishing school
Messi-anic.
Argentina 2 - 0 Austria
France 3 - 0 Iraq
Norway 3 - 2 Senegal
Jordan 1 - 2 Algeria
Once again, the stars of world football turned up in force to light up the competition, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring braces. Messi could have scored three, were it not for a missed penalty.
On what proved to be a historic day, Messi achieved the legendary record of greatest ever World Cup goalscorer, with 18 goals to his name across six tournaments. He also is now level with Maradona for the highest number of all-time assists in the World Cup.
Chasing him down were Mbappe and Haaland, each with their own hopes of winning the Golden Boot.
The day’s highlights:
Argentina beat Austria 2-0, with Messi getting on the scoresheet twice to move them up to 6 points, topping the group.
Thunderstorms delayed proceedings in the France v Iraq game. Kylian Mbappe got France off to a flyer in the 14th minute, only for half time to be interrupted by thunderstorms and the game to be delayed for two hours. After resuming, it was decided to forego the hydration break for the second half. France went on to knock Iraq out of the competition with two further goals in the second half.
Erling Haaland scored twice to send Norway to the last 32 of the competition, and consigned Senegal to the cusp of elimination after two games. An entertaining game ended 3-2 to Norway.
Algeria came from behind to eliminate Jordan from the competition, winning by two goals to one.
How were the games? What did we learn?
Again, we learned that the stars are here to shine. Any team up against the likes of Haaland, Mbappe and Messi has found it difficult to make an impact in their groups, showing that star power is still very much a valid formula when it comes to building a winning World Cup team.
The tussle between Messi, Haaland, Mbappe and others is proving to be enthralling. Can Harry Kane respond and find himself back in the equation tomorrow?
***
Argentina v Austria
In today’s battle of the teams beginning with “A”, many of the questions surrounding the game were about Lionel Messi. Was his first game at the tournament a flash in the pan? A final hurrah?
Evidently not, as Messi scored two here and could have had a third had he not missed a penalty. Now clear at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscorer chart, he looks invigorated by the fight to stay ahead of Mbappe on his own terms.
It’s almost impossible to recall these days, but ten years ago Messi retired from international football. Now, about to turn 39, he’s putting in imperious performance after imperious performance, staying ahead of strikers in their prime. He is a force of nature. A magician.
The game itself was relatively unremarkable. Austria came at Argentina with their familiar press, but looked unable to conjure the kind of ideas that might have disarmed Argentina’s attack fully, and aside from a couple of chances, never looked too likely to score.
A free kick from Marcel Sabitzer was probably their best chance, but Emiliano Martinez pushed it away with confidence to keep a clean sheet.
Messi’s two goals were of varying quality. His first, a confident finish inside the box. His second, a scrappy goal where he fired through the gaps between tired Austria defenders, whose calamitous coordination left an opening.
Either way, they were goals. And he remains top of the race for the Golden Boot.
***
France v Iraq
Iraq were powerless to resist the individual attacking quality France had on show, with Kylian Mbappe chasing down Messi’s new record already. He now has 16 goals in world cups to Messi’s 18.
The killer combination of Mbappe - Olise - Dembele showed that France remain a force to be reckoned with in the competition.
France got off to a flyer with a 14th minute Mbappe goal. The first half hydration break allowed Iraq to regroup somewhat, and they managed to work their way back into the game a little. But as half time (and the thunder clouds) grew closer, there was an ominous sense that France still had another level to click into.
If anyone was worried they wouldn’t do that because of the waterlogged conditions, they needn’t have. After a two hour wait, France came out for the second half with conviction, although their second goal was a gift thanks to a defensive mix up between keeper Ahmed Basil and defender Zaid Tahseen. Dembele pounced, passed to Mbappe and the lethal striker knew what he had to do, converting with a tidy finish.
France could have won by 4 or 5, but in the end had to settle for 3 with a strike into the bottom corner courtesy of Dembele, assisted by Olise.
Any team in the world would crave an attack like theirs. The question is, who can stop it?
***
Norway v Senegal
An engaging start to this match left Norway looking the slightly better of the two teams in the opening salvos, although Senegal remained a threat throughout.
In the end, it took a mistake from Senegal to break the deadlock. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly had a moment he’ll want to forget when he cleared the ball horrendously into the path of Norway’s Marcus Pedersen, who duly converted.
Soon after that, it was two, and guess who scored? Erling Haaland, of course. He latched onto a well judged through ball from Odegaard to hammer home and double the lead. But Senegal refused to be beaten, pulling back a goal through Ismaila Sarr.
Haaland wasn’t having that, and made it 3-1 soon after. Senegal, however, were not giving up the fight. That man Ismaila Sarr was back in business, scoring in injury time to set up a tense ending to the match.
Norway held on for a deserved win, the 3-2 scoreline meaning that they are certain to progress from Group I alongside France. An incredible achievement, and a team to keep a close eye on in the Round of 32. Few will want to face Haaland with the form he’s in.
***
Jordan v Algeria
Jordan will be heading home after the group stage, as defeat against Algeria means it is now impossible for them to advance, even if they finish 3rd by beating Argentina next, by virtue of their head-to-head record against Algeria.
The result also confirmed that Argentina will win the group, and therefore the upcoming Argentina-Jordan match is essentially a dead rubber.
Jordan took the lead in the first half of this game as they looked to hit Algeria repeatedly on the transition, successfully. Nizar Al-Rashdan scored a low finish on the 36 minute mark.
But Algeria were never really down and out, and came back into the game through two well-executed corners, again showing their importance at this World Cup. Nadir Benbouali scored in the 69th minute and Amine Gouiri completed the comeback in the 82nd minute.
***
Well, it’s England next, so I’m off to crack open a vat of vindaloo.
Bring on day 13!
15 min read