Lionel Messi became the FIFA World Cup's all-time leading scorer on Monday, scoring both goals in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria to reach 18 career World Cup goals. Kylian Mbappe kept pace with a brace for France, while Erling Haaland also scored twice for Norway in a day of historic feats.
Messi surpasses Klose's record
Messi entered the match tied with German legend Miroslav Klose at 16 goals. After missing an early penalty, he scored twice to claim sole possession of the record. The 38-year-old Argentine captain has now scored all five of Argentina's goals in the tournament, with the defending champions yet to concede. The win secured Argentina's place in the Round of 32 with a match to spare.
Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, equaling the record held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho. He also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick earlier in the tournament, at 38 years and 357 days, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's record.
Mbappe matches Messi's feat
Kylian Mbappe scored twice in France's victory, moving into a tie for second place on the all-time scoring charts. The 27-year-old captain made his 100th international appearance, becoming the youngest French player to reach that milestone at 27 years and 184 days. Mbappe joined an exclusive group as only the fourth player to score two or more goals in at least three successive World Cup appearances, alongside Sandor Kocsis, Guillermo Stabile, and Messi.
Haaland leads Norway to victory
Erling Haaland scored two goals for the second consecutive match, helping Norway edge Senegal 3-2. The Manchester City striker became only the sixth player in World Cup history to score multiple goals in each of his first two appearances, joining Guillermo Stabile, Sandor Kocsis, Just Fontaine, Grzegorz Lato, and Harry Kane. Norway advanced to the Round of 32 but sits second in the group behind France on goal difference.
