It was one of the most exciting days of this FIFA World Cup yet. 16 goals were scored across four matches. Both finalists of the last edition started their World Cup journeys with a bang. And in between, one of the dark horses of the tournament reminded the watching world that they belong to this stage, ending an absence of 28 years. Debutants Jordan, despite succumbing to a defeat against Rangnick’s Austria, gave a promising account of themselves. Ali Olwan’s unstoppable swerving shot that satisfyingly went in off the woodwork is as glorious a first-ever FIFA World Cup goal for a country as it gets.
But all these form the context of why it was such an exciting day, not the primary reason. And that cause is way too straightforward. Three of the most remarkable attacking players in the sport scored seven goals between them, forever securing a place for today’s footage in numerous highlight reels and compilation videos.
Senegal is one of the strongest teams from outside South America and Europe. They lifted the AFCON trophy by defeating Morocco in a final that would later see its result altered by an administrative intervention. France vs Senegal is also a fixture that happened to be a World Cup opener for these teams 24 years ago.
France in 2026, just like in 2002, is heavily tipped to win the tournament outright owing to their offensive qualities. The first half of the game brought to mind other similarities. France were careless with first touches in the attacking third, and Senegal seemed like rightful equals who had all that it takes to hurt French hopes. In virtually the last kick of the half, Senegal’s Sarr had put over the bar an opportunity that could see them grab a lead just like 24 years ago. France, with the indomitable Mbappe, who has developed a habit of upping the ante in the second half of World Cup games, will not let the second half be more of the same.
The change in Olisse’s positioning, giving him a more central role, flicked an invisible switch that unlocked a lethal, visceral and beautiful connection between him and Mbappe. Olisse twisted, Olisse turned, Olisse split the defence with through balls. Mbappe was not having the best of games, with his first touches heavier than usual and his finishes not quite as accurate, but how long could Mbappe go without scoring in a World Cup match, especially with such excellent service? Finally, Senegal’s defence had no choice but to relent.
Just before the hydration break in the second half, Mbappe, dropping a masterclass of timing runs perfectly, finished from Olisse’s incisive pass with typical buttery movement that we expect from him that close to the goal. Barcola scored France’s second, converting Rabiot’s through ball with a delicate chipped finish, and that seemed to be it.
Senegal pulled one back in injury time, which came late enough to seem like a consolation, but early enough for Mbappe to end the game with a sumptuous long-range goal, the likes of which are certainly seen in training-ground montages, immaculately placed into the top corner. The remarkable ease that he displays in scoring such worldies singles him out as one of the most spectacular forwards to watch. Defenders must dread how casual he makes it look. Mbappe’s World Cup goal tally already reads 14.
While the France-Senegal game was an entertaining advert for football on display in this World Cup, the spectacle of the Norway-Iraq game leaned a little more toward slapstick. And much of that was delivered by the brilliance of World Cup debutant Erling Haaland, a menacing, gigantic presence with a reach that can hardly be legislated for while defending.
Haaland’s first World Cup goal came just before the stroke of half-time as his outstretched legs somehow thrashed the ball, not cleanly but surely convincingly, into the net from close range as the momentum almost clattered him against the post. Aymen Hussein had equalised through a fine header, but just as the first half was coming to a close, an underhit back-pass from Iraqi centre-back Zaid Tahseen to his goalkeeper opened the doors for Haaland to pounce.
His combination of pace, power and presence was pivotal to a goal which he did not even need to score by himself. He almost bullied the keeper Jalal Hussain into a panicky indecision, and his late attempted clearance ricocheted off Haaland into the net. Norway scored twice more in the second half, with the last being, again, a very slapstick piece of own-goal.
While Mbappe and Haaland are very much the stars of this decade, the prominence they enjoy in the discourse around the game is dwarfed by the influence held by Lionel Messi. Appearing in his sixth World Cup, three and a half years on from his ultimate glory in Qatar, Messi ticked another box as he scored his first World Cup hat-trick against an Algeria team that, despite their quality, could not lay a glove on the match. Zidane, first name Luca, also failed in laying his gloves to the powerful shot that Messi had struck from the ‘D’, after collecting a masterful pass from De Paul. With that, Messi had brought Argentina the lead in the 17th minute, after each of the two sides had a goal ruled out for offside in the early minutes.
Zidane’s night to forget had more miseries in store. Just around the hour mark, he showed the temerity of spilling the ball with Messi lurking nearby. Messi, looking sharp and sometimes even quick, converted. Messi’s third, around fifteen minutes from time, was as pleasing as it gets from a Messi finish that finds the bottom corner through a jungle of limbs, avoiding any tarnishing deflective touch and the diving hands of the hapless keeper.
It reminds one of his group-stage goal against Mexico in the last world cup, a moment, which in retrospect has become one of the defining ones in his illustrious career. Messi becomes the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, and he equals Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals, half of them coming in his last five World Cup games.
Modern football, with the media and the finances around it, has seen the age-old relationship between the team and the individual evolve in ways that the institutions of football are still catching up to. The World Cup, in many ways, serves as a sombre and charming link to a past that football has long left behind. And performances like that, from Mbappe, Haaland and Messi, draw on and invigorate football’s rich collective memory around the likes of Pele, R9 and Maradona. In a fleeting world of distractions and bite-sized clips, it feels quite reassuring to see collective memory still hold such power.
Read more – World Cup Day 6: Messi Hat-Trick Ties Klose Record as Mbappé and Haaland Also Deliver
Also see – The Vatreni Formula: Why Croatia Always Turn Up When It Matters
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