Lionel Messi

Messi shines as heavyweights assert dominance: The World Cup, while you were asleep

Here is what you missed when you were asleep of the World Cup 2026

·

Read in:

We are still in the first round of matches at the biggest FIFA World Cup ever, as 48 nations are fighting to be the ones to lift the trophy after the final whistle of the tournament.

So if you had something else to do (like sleeping…) last night, here is a recap of what happened in the four matches played.

France 3 – 1 Senegal

One of the favourites to lift the trophy struggled in the first half, but after halftime the French stars proved why they are as highly rated as they are.

Superstar Kylian Mbappé scored two of the French goals, with his second being an early contender for Goal of the Tournament, a screamer from distance.

Read also: 'Everything is a disaster': Iran star blames Trump's America for World Cup chaos

The two goals bring Mbappé to a total of 14 World Cup goals, two behind record holder Miroslav Klose (and Messi after this round).

Iraq 1 – 4 Norway

Norway is back in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years (the last time they qualified was for the 1998 World Cup), and they showed that they deserve to be here.

After a nervous first half, the Norwegians exploded, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scoring two goals.

Argentina 3 – 0 Algeria

Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The discussion over which of the two gentlemen is the best player of the last two decades (perhaps even ever) will probably never reach a consensus, but Messi certainly made a statement in Argentina’s World Cup opener.

Read also: World Cup nation banned by FIFA from taking national flags into US venues

The Argentine wizard scored a hat-trick in his 200th appearance for the Argentine national team, tying Miroslav Klose’s record as the highest-scoring player in FIFA World Cup history with 16 goals.

I’ll bet that record will belong to Messi alone before the tournament is over.

Austria 3 – 1 Jordan

Jordan made their first-ever World Cup appearance when they faced Austria in a tense and dramatic matchup.

Austria took the lead after 20 minutes before Jordan equalised five minutes into the second half.

Read also: Dana White condemns "nasty and false" Michelle Obama slur at White House UFC event

After 76 minutes of play, Austria scored again, but after a review, it turned out that a Jordanian player had scored an own goal.

Twelve minutes into injury time, Austria put the final nail in the coffin with a penalty.

Read also: Enzo Fernandez reflects on World Cup glory and eyes Argentina captaincy for 2026

Related Stories