Stars shining in the first two rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup makes it a "record-breaking" tournament.
by sportswriters Cao Jianjie and Zhang Wuyue
MIAMI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Lionel Messi became the World Cup's all-time leading scorer and Argentina was one of six teams to book its place in the knockout stage during the second round of group-stage matches.
Messi scored twice in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria, taking his World Cup tally to 18 goals and moving past Germany's Miroslav Klose.
The 39-year-old recovered from an early penalty miss to score before halftime and added a second in stoppage time as the defending champion advanced from Group J with a second straight win.
France also progressed as Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th international appearance with two goals in a 3-0 win over Iraq. Ousmane Dembele added the third as Didier Deschamps' side made it two wins from two in Group I.
"If I want to keep up with what Leo is doing, I'll have to do even more," Mbappe said in reference to his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Messi. "Leo always scores."
Portugal revived its campaign with a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan with Cristiano Ronaldo netting twice to become the first player to score at six World Cups. The result followed an opening draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo after which Ronaldo and his team faced widespread criticism.
"It's always like that," Ronaldo said. "It doesn't matter, because it's been 23 years on the job and when things go well, 'Cristiano is good,' when things go bad, 'Cristiano is a retired player, is old.'"
Spain moved top of Group H with a 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia. Lamine Yamal scored on his first World Cup start before Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice and Hassan Altambakti turned the ball into his own net.
"I've always dreamed of being at a World Cup, and being able to score in my first match as a starter is a dream," Yamal said.
In the same group, Cabo Verde boosted its hopes of reaching the round of 32 with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay. Helio Varela's second-half equalizer earned the African side another valuable point.
Group G produced one of the round's surprises when Iran held Belgium to a goalless draw despite prolonged pressure from the Europeans. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves as Belgium failed to capitalize after Nathan Ngoy's red card left them with 10 men.
Egypt climbed to the top of the group with a 3-1 comeback victory over New Zealand. Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet scored after Finn Surman had given New Zealand an early lead.
Germany became one of the first teams to advance after coming from behind to beat Cote d'Ivoire 2-1. Substitute Deniz Undav scored twice as the four-time champion secured a second straight win in Group E.
Curacao collected its first World Cup point with a goalless draw against Ecuador in the same group, while the Netherlands moved top of Group F with a 5-1 victory over Sweden. Japan all but guaranteed its passage to the next phase with a 4-0 win over Tunisia, the 1,000th match in World Cup history.
In Group L, England was held to a goalless draw by Ghana and must avoid defeat against Panama in its final group match to be assured of progressing to the knockout stage.
Elsewhere, the United States and Colombia reached the knockout stage with wins over Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively. Paraguay kept its hopes alive by beating Türkiye 1-0, a result that eliminated Vincenzo Montella's side.
Brazil and Morocco tightened their grip on Group C. Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 courtesy of Matheus Cunha's brace and a Vinicius Jr. strike, while Morocco edged Scotland 1-0 after Ismael Saibari's early goal.
Mexico became the first team to secure qualification after a 1-0 win over South Korea. Canada claimed its first World Cup victory as a Jonathan David hat-trick led a 6-0 rout of Qatar, while Switzerland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1.
Belgium, Uruguay, Ecuador and Iran are among the teams still fighting to stay alive heading into the final round of group matches. Cabo Verde, Curacao and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also put themselves into contention to extend their runs. ■
