World Cup – Lionel Messi’s brace steadied Argentina after an early penalty miss as they beat Austria 2-0, Kylian Mbappe fired France past Iraq 3-0 despite a storm-suspended match, and Erling Haaland scored again as Norway ended Senegal’s hopes with a 3-2 win. In the stand
The AT&T Stadium was supposed to belong to the football story unfolding on the pitch. Then the big screen swung to Shakira—and for a moment, the mood in the stands turned into something else entirely.
During Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria on Monday night in Dallas. fans thought they spotted an uncomfortable incident as a man in the seat to Shakira’s left leaned over. wrapped an arm around her. and kissed her on the cheek. Social media immediately erupted with claims that she looked reluctant to lean in and appeared uneasy.
Only, when the confusion spread, it didn’t take long for relief to land. The admirer wasn’t a stranger at all: it was one of Shakira’s sons. Milan. 13. or Sasha. 11. sharing her VIP suite. Milan was wearing a black polo top and a white cap that concealed his face, helping spark the misunderstanding. He leaned over. appeared to pull at his mother’s long locks slightly—and that. fans later realised. was the moment people had read so differently. Shakira, who recorded the official anthem of the 2026 World Cup with rapper Burna Boy, has a long World Cup affiliation. Her 2010 “Waka Waka” was the official song of the South African tournament. and she previously dated former World Cup winner Gerard Pique for 11 years before their breakup in June 2022.
Back on the field, there was no confusion about who carried the night.
Argentina didn’t just book their knockout spot after scoring five goals in two games on American soil—they did it with Lionel Messi at the centre of it all. The 38-year-old was denied early when he skewed a penalty wide with just nine minutes on the clock. He made amends on 38 minutes, curling a shot from the edge of the box to open the scoring.
From there, the drama was about how Argentina tightened the screws rather than whether they would. As Austria pushed for an equaliser in the dying embers, Messi and Julian Alvarez broke away. Messi switched the ball to Alvarez, who returned it into the area. Messi dropped his shoulder, rounded the goalkeeper, saw his effort blocked—then the ball dropped back to his feet. He smashed it home to secure the victory.
It also added another record into the storybook: the brace against Austria meant Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s highest-ever goalscorer. The celebrations came two days before his 39th birthday.
France’s night had its own kind of spectacle. In Philadelphia. Kylian Mbappe starred as France swept past Iraq 3-0 to make it two wins out of two on American soil. Mbappe equalled Miroslav Klose’s tally of 16 at the tournament, with his brace. The first goal arrived after just 14 minutes: Mbappe picked up the ball from about 30 yards out. cut inside. and unleashed an unsavable curler into the top corner.
Then the weather took over. A storm hit Pennsylvania as the teams headed down the tunnel and the match was suspended for more than an hour, with supporters hiding under umbrellas and ponchos. When the players finally returned, the rhythm shifted back to France—and the finishing arrived quickly.
Nine minutes after the interval. Dembele capitalised on calamitous Iraqi defending to tee Mbappe up for a second that he couldn’t miss. Dembele then added a third himself a little more than 10 minutes later with a side-footed effort that effectively ended the contest. The win secured France’s place in the knockouts.
Norway’s first World Cup in almost 30 years brought a different sort of intensity, but the same kind of star power. Erling Haaland set up a top-spot showdown in Group I between France and Norway after scoring two in Norway’s 3-2 victory against Senegal.
At MetLife Stadium, it took 42 minutes for the deadlock to break in difficult conditions. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen capitalised on lax Senegal defending to fire home, and then the floodgates opened after the interval. Haaland made it 2-0, and moments later Senegal were handed a lifeline through a scrappy Ismaila Sarr finish.
But the comeback wouldn’t last. Less than five minutes after that, Haaland turned home a cross with his right foot for 3-1. Sarr pulled another back in added time, but it was only a consolation. Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard led the celebrations as Norway marked qualification for the knockout phase with jubilant scenes after the final whistle—and the thousands of Norwegians in the ground performed the ‘Viking Row’.
Elsewhere in Group J, Algeria delivered the kind of turnaround that changes lives in tournament football. Algeria came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1, though Jordan’s elimination was already hanging over the match with a game still to play.
Jordan took the lead through Nizar Al-Rashdan in the 36th minute and looked set to protect the breakthrough at the break. But Algeria capitalised on set pieces in the second half: Nadhir Benbouali headed in the equaliser in the 69th minute. Algeria then took the lead in the 82nd minute from another corner. Amine Gouiri scored the winner from close range, but celebrations were briefly delayed by a lengthy VAR check. The decision held and ruled that Gouiri—playing for Marseille—had not scored from an offside position.
The night’s standout individual numbers carried a quiet sting as well. Messi’s early penalty miss meant he became the first player in World Cup history to miss from the spot in three consecutive World Cups. Still. his brace kept Argentina’s momentum and moved him clear in the race for goals: Messi finished the day on five. ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe on four each.
The football keeps moving, and today has its own pressure points.
Portugal face Uzbekistan at 6pm in Houston. Portugal are coming off a 1-1 draw with DR Congo and are looking for their first victory of the tournament. The build-up has been clouded by reports of infighting in the Portuguese camp. sparked by Ronaldo’s sister. Katia Aveiro. liking an Instagram post accusing Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes of failing to perform for the national team amid criticism after the draw. There’s also the selection question: whether Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, could be left on the bench against Uzbekistan. For Uzbekistan, a loss could crush hopes of reaching the Round of 32. Managed by Fabio Cannavaro. they won a goal through Abbosbek Fayzullaev but were ultimately outdone by Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez in a 3-1 defeat to Colombia.
England’s evening starts in Philadelphia at 9pm, when the Three Lions meet Ghana. England come in after their opening day defeat of Croatia. with a brace from Harry Kane and goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford. Ghana arrive on the back of a 1-0 victory over Panama, decided by a late strike from Caleb Yirenkyi. Thomas Partey is set to return after Canadian authorities denied him a visa last week. and Antoine Semenyo is expected to start.
Panama also feature tonight at 12am Toronto time against Croatia. with the warning that another loss could extend Panama’s winless World Cup run to five—after their last winless run started with defeats in 2018. Croatia enter with different context to the Qatar semi-final team they once were. and Luka Modric. who turns 41 in September. appeared a shadow of his former self against England. Mateo Kovacic also looked short of full fitness.
And for those awake early, Colombia play DR Congo at 3am in Guadalajara. Colombia’s boss. Nestor Lorenzo. has said the match will be “very difficult. ” pointing to Congo’s transition play with long balls and quick breaks. Colombia know a win would secure a place in the Round of 32 and could even be enough for top spot in Group K if Portugal slip up versus Uzbekistan.
The tournament has always been full of spectacle. Monday night added another layer: not just goals and weather and records, but a reminder that even off-field moments—caught on a screen in the middle of celebration—can swing a whole stadium’s emotions in seconds.
World Cup Argentina Austria Lionel Messi Kylian Mbappe France Iraq Erling Haaland Norway Senegal Shakira England Ghana Portugal Uzbekistan Algeria Jordan