World Cup Day 12: Messi Makes History, Haaland Runs Rampant, and Algeria Storm Back

Day 12 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered everything a football fan could dream of — historic milestones, thunderstorm delays, breakout braces, and a stunning comeback. Lionel Messi broke the all-time World Cup scoring record with his 17th and 18th goals to power Argentina past Austria, while Kylian Mbappé kept pace with a brace of his own in France's weather-interrupted demolition of Iraq. Erling Haaland announced himself on the world stage with his second consecutive two-goal performance as Norway outlasted Senegal in a five-goal thriller, and Algeria rallied from behind to keep their tournament alive and eliminate tournament debutants Jordan.Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group J)Lionel Messi stood alone at the summit of World Cup football. Before a frenzied crowd of 70,000 at Dallas Stadium, the nearly 39-year-old maestro pulled an early penalty wide and watched Austria captain David Alaba deny him twice in quick succession. But you cannot keep a genius quiet forever. In the 38th minute, Facundo Medina found Messi lurking in space — precisely the kind of blind spot Austria coach Ralf Rangnick had warned about — and the Argentine swept home with that trademark left-footed swing to surpass Miroslav Klose as the all-time World Cup top scorer with his 17th goal. Austria battled gamely, with Rangnick's counter-pressing system frustrating Argentina for long stretches, but Messi struck again in the fifth minute of stoppage time, squeezing the ball home through a thicket of defenders to reach 18 career World Cup goals. The brace took Messi to five goals at this tournament, having already notched a hat-trick against Algeria. Argentina clinched first place in Group J with the victory, and the question now isn't whether Messi can keep doing this — it's whether anyone can stop him.France 3-0 Iraq (Group I)Kylian Mbappé is chasing Messi's record, and he's doing it in style. The French superstar opened the scoring in the 14th minute at Philadelphia Stadium, collecting Michael Olise's pass on the right, taking one touch to his left, and unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the box that flew beyond goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. What followed was a delay unlike anything seen at this World Cup — thunderstorms in the region forced the second-half kickoff to be pushed back nearly two hours, with spectators ordered to seek shelter in the concourses while ground staff used squeegees to clear standing water from the pitch. When play finally resumed, Iraq gifted France a second goal. A dreadful mistake from a goal kick allowed Ousmane Dembélé to set up Mbappé for a simple tap-in, his second of the night and fourth of the tournament. Dembélé then got on the scoresheet himself, controlling Olise's incisive pass and finishing low past Basil to make it 3-0. The win moved Mbappé level with Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi's new record. Iraq, still searching for their first points, also lost striker Aymen Hussein to injury in the 26th minute, compounding a miserable night in Philadelphia.Norway 3-2 Senegal (Group I)Erling Haaland is making up for lost time. After Norway's 28-year World Cup absence, the Manchester City striker has been nothing short of sensational, following his brace against Iraq with another two-goal masterclass at New York/New Jersey Stadium. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen opened the scoring by punishing a Kalidou Koulibaly turnover, before Senegal's Ismaïla Sarr responded with a brace of his own to twice pull the Lions of Teranga level. But Haaland was relentless — five shots, two goals, and a celebration paying homage to Thierry Henry. His second goal proved decisive, firing Norway into the Round of 32 in their first World Cup appearance since 1998. The rain-soaked affair in New Jersey showcased two good teams trading blows, but Norway's clinical finishing and Haaland's predatory instincts made the difference. Sarr missed a golden chance late in stoppage time to salvage a draw, and Senegal now face a must-win finale against Iraq to keep their tournament hopes alive. Norway's reward is a mouthwatering group decider against France, with Mbappé vs. Haaland topping the bill. After the match, Haaland was characteristically blunt: "They're probably going to win against us, they're probably going to win the whole tournament." We'll see about that.Jordan 1-2 Algeria (Group J)Algeria breathed life into their World Cup campaign with a stirring second-half comeback at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Nizar Al-Rashdan had fired Jordan into a shock lead in the 36th minute, scoring completely against the run of play and sending the debutants into dreamland. For 45 minutes, Jordan — appearing at their first-ever World Cup — dared to believe. But Algeria's quality and experience ultimately told. Nadhir Benbouali rose highest among a tiring Jordanian back line to head home from a corner shortly after the break, and Amine Gouiri completed the turnaround in the 82nd minute, turning in from close range after a chaotic scramble at a corner kick. A lengthy VAR review confirmed Gouiri was kept onside by a defender's foot, and the Algeria bench erupted. It was Algeria's first World Cup win since 2014, and it eliminated Jordan from knockout contention with a match still to play. The gulf in corner kicks — ten to one — told the story of Algeria's dominance. Riyad Mahrez came off in the second half, but the Desert Warriors had done enough. For Jordan, it was heartbreak, but coach Jamal Sellami's side can hold their heads high after giving a genuine account of themselves on the biggest stage.Upcoming Matches for June 23 (all times ET):1:00 PM, Houston Stadium, Houston — Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Group K)4:00 PM, Boston Stadium, Boston — England vs. Ghana (Group L)7:00 PM, Toronto Stadium, Toronto — Panama vs. Croatia (Group L)10:00 PM, Guadalajara Stadium, Guadalajara — Colombia vs. Congo DR (Group K)