NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been nothing short of miraculous so far, especially when you look at what the tournament’s superstars have been doing on the field.
Monday’s match schedule, featuring three of the game’s leading scorers, was perhaps the highlight of the tournament so far.
The story of the day had to be Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who set the all-time World Cup goals record, overtaking Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the lead as his illustrious career accolades continue.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after scoring his third goal during the World Cup Group J match against Algeria in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 16, 2026. (Ed Zurga/AP Photo)
Not only did Messi score his 17th World Cup goal in the first half of Argentina’s victory over Austria, he added an 18th goal late in the second half to cap off another wonderful performance.
In just two games at the World Cup, Messi already has five goals to his name, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s first tournament victory against Algeria. And he is doing it at 38 years old, showing the same ability he had in his prime for country and club, while promoting his case as the greatest footballer to ever wear a pair of boots.
But Messi wasn’t the only superstar to appear on Monday. In fact, he wasn’t even the only one to score two goals in a victory.
THE GREATNESS OF LIONEL MESSI SHINES WITH THE HAT TRICK OF THE WORLD CUP AGAINST ALGERIA
Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and Norwegian Erling Haaland, two of the best forwards in football, took advantage of their matches against Iraq and Senegal, respectively.
Early in the first half in Philadelphia, Mbappé found the ball just outside Iraq’s 18-yard box when he shot with his left foot toward goal, and it was too much juice for the goalkeeper when it found the back of the net. France were all over Iraq, as expected, and they made sure to press with their 27-year-old superstar at the helm.
After a long delay due to bad weather, play finally resumed on the field, where Iraq made a costly error on a goal kick that the goalkeeper was not prepared to handle, and Ousmane Dembélé served an easy pass to Mbappé to set up his second goal of the night.
Kylian Mbappé celebrates scoring France’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I match against Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 22, 2026. (Shaun Botterill/FIFA)
While Messi broke the all-time World Cup goals record, Mbappé is not far behind as they were the 15th and 16th of his career. Mbappé is only 27 years old, but he is playing in his third World Cup with a France team that is looking for revenge after losing to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.
Finally, not far from Philadelphia, Haaland and Norway were playing in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in a pivotal Group I match against Senegal. France is also in Group I and led the tournament with two wins.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
Therefore, Haaland would be counted on for his scoring ability, and he did not disappoint. Haaland scored in the 48th and 58th minutes of the match en route to a 3-2 victory over Senegal to tie France at the top of Group I, heading into the decisive final group stage match later this week.
Haaland may have even scored three goals had it not been for a missed opportunity when the Senegal goalkeeper lost the ball and an open net was in front of him late in the first half. But Haaland hit the right post, leaving the 6ft 5in Norwegian in disbelief.
However, Haaland quickly made up for it in the second half, and the crowd in New Jersey went into a rage for the Manchester City product.
Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates with his teammates after scoring the third goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I match against Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 22, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
With players like Spain’s Lamine Yamal making history with his first World Cup goal on Sunday, and Team USA notching wins in their first two matches in Group D, this tournament has had it all from top to bottom.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
The best part is that this is just the group stage. Next week the qualifiers will arrive, where players like Messi, Mbappé and Haaland will have more at stake.
But there’s no doubt that this tournament has been tremendous for fans around the world, and Monday’s “Big Three” made it even more special.
THE NEW EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING THE FOX ONE WORLD CUP
