The World Cup often brings out the very best in soccer’s biggest stars.
But at the same time, the tournament can be cruel. Not everybody makes the most of the opportunity, as some of the all-time legends have fallen flat at the World Cup.
France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland don’t fall into that category. Mbappé and Haaland displayed why they rank among the greatest of the current era on Tuesday at the World Cup, both bagging braces in guiding their teams to impressive wins.
Later, Lionel Messi managed to do even better than Mbappe and Haaland. The Argentine star scored a hat trick against Algeria to give him 16 career goals, tying him for first all-time.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Day 6.
As Mbappé goes, so goes France
If France is going to win its third World Cup – and first since 2018 – it will likely be on the shoulders of Kylian Mbappé. And all early indications are that they can more than handle the load, as the Real Madrid super star bagged a fantastic brace in Les Bleus’ win over Senegal. Mbappé was the Golden Boot winner four years ago in Qatar, and his quest to earn a second consecutive trophy as the tournament’s top scorer is off to an excellent start. But it took some doing.
Both France and Mbappé laboured their way through a very plodding first half against Senegal, far from living up to their pre-World Cup billing as the favourites to win it all. Mbappé, in particular, looked lackadaisical and wasn’t involved as much as France needed him to be, as evidenced by his paltry 14 touches on the ball. By contrast, Senegal, dubbed the Lions of Teranga, lived up to its moniker with a ferocious showing through the opening 45 minutes, outfighting the French, who were careless in possession.
The second half was an entirely different matter, though. A tactical shift by manager Didier Deschamps saw Michael Olise move from the flanks into the middle of the pitch. Olise instantly connected with Mbappé, setting him up for his first goal as the French striker looked far more engaged and more secure while in possession. France was in the ascendancy and a second goal came from Bradley Barcola before Mbappé added another goal deep into injury time to seal the win for the French.
Erling Haaland finally gets his World Cup moment
Some of the biggest stars in the history of the sport never had the chance to play at the World Cup. Among the more notable ones: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina and Spain). George Weah (Liberia). Éric Cantona (France). Valentino Mazzola (Italy). George Best (Northern Ireland). Ryan Giggs (Wales). Ladislao Kubala (Hungary). Bernd Schuster (Germany).
For the longest time, it looked like Erling Haaland would be added to that list. Haaland has plundered goals with alarming regularity at club level — 229 in 386 games, including 162 goals for Manchester City. But Norway isn’t what you would call a traditional power, having competed in only three World Cups from 1938 to 1998, and doubts lingered as to whether Haaland would ever get his opportunity.
Thankfully, the Norwegians punched their ticket for this summer’s competition, giving Haaland, one of the most prolific strikers of his generation, a chance to showcase his skills on the game’s biggest stage — and us the pleasure of watching him. Haaland, 25, isn’t one to shy away from the spotlight and he didn’t disappoint in his World Cup debut, registering a first-half brace in Norway’s third win in its tourney history.
Both goals highlighted his legendary predatory instincts — the first one coming off a sliding tap-in after he worked his way into a dangerous position; the second after he pressured Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan into making a mistake and forced the ball into the back of the net. Two very different goals, but both of them quintessentially Haaland-esque.
France was comfortably leading 2-0 when Senegal gave itself a lifeline with a goal in the fifth minute of injury time. Was a comeback on the cards for the African nation? Hardly. Mbappé snuffed out any chance of that when he picked up the ball, took a quick touch as he spun around and unleashed a powerful shot from 30 yards out that sailed past goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and nestled into the top right corner. Pure golazo material.
What were you doing when you were 18 years old? Probably not scoring at the World Cup like Paris Saint-Germain forward Ibrahim Mbaye:
With his brace vs. Senegal in New York, Mbappé now has 14 career World Cup goals, moving him past Brazilian icon Pelé and, for a few hours, Lionel Messi into a tie for fourth place (with Germany legend Gerd Müller) in the history of the men’s tournament. Mbappé only trails Brazil’s Ronaldo (15), Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Messi (16). He is also now France’s all-time scorer with 58 goals, one more than Olivier Giroud, and France’s all-time scorer at the World Cup with 14 goals, one more than Just Fontaine.
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1. Kylian Mbappé (France): Overcame a very sloppy opening 45 minutes with a spectacular showing in the second half against Senegal. The Real Madrid star opened the scoring via a cool finish to make it 1-0 after being denied a penalty and then capped the scoring to seal the win.
2. Erling Haaland (Norway): Helped mark his country’s return to the World Cup following a 28-year absence with a brilliant first-half brace. The Manchester City star finished with a game-high five shots.
3. Michael Olise (France): The winger moved into central midfield at the start of the second half, a tactical move from which France greatly benefitted. Olise linked up with Mbappé, setting him up on his first goal and having a hand in the French striker’s second of the game.
