Erling Haaland’s latest take on Lionel Messi has people talking. The Norway striker, who has guided his country into the knockout rounds in the first FIFA World Cup appearance of his career, posted a message about the Argentina captain after their final group-stage game of the tournament.
Lionel Messi once again turned a routine Argentina win into a piece of World Cup history on Sunday, June 28, coming off the bench to score in his seventh consecutive FIFA World Cup match. The goal also extended his tally to 19 World Cup goals – the highest in the history of the tournament.
Introduced around the hour mark, Messi slotted in a low free-kick, beating Jordan goalkeeper Abulaila, who had been in top form until then. Haaland reacted to the goal and said that as long as Messi remained in the tournament, he had little hope of winning the World Cup Golden Boot.
Haaland has been in sensational form himself in his maiden World Cup appearance, scoring four goals in two matches. He was rested for Norway’s final group-stage game against France after the team had already secured qualification for the knockout rounds.
UNIMITABLE LIONEL MESSI STRIKES AGAIN
Rested at the start after Lionel Scaloni made nine changes to his line-up, Messi watched Argentina take control against Jordan through Giovani Lo Celso’s free-kick and Lautaro Martinez’s penalty – notably the first goals of Argentina’s tournament not scored by their captain.
With the match under control and Argentina leading comfortably, Messi was introduced just after the hour mark. His arrival immediately changed the tempo. Even without needing to dominate possession, the 39-year-old became the focal point of Argentina’s attack, drawing defenders, opening spaces and increasing the speed of Argentina’s transitions in the final third.
His moment arrived in the 80th minute.
Winning a free-kick in a familiar area outside the box, Messi stepped up and curled his effort into the net to make it 3-1 and continue his extraordinary scoring streak. The goal took him clear of the record he had shared with France great Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho, making him the first player to score in seven successive World Cup matches.
The strike also moved Messi to six goals in the tournament – the highest tally by any player so far – reinforcing his status as Argentina’s central attacking force despite a carefully managed workload.
Perhaps most striking was that Messi achieved all of it in a limited cameo. Scaloni later revealed that his captain could have played the full match but chose to give minutes to teammates and preserve energy for the knockout rounds – another sign that Argentina are balancing their pursuit of the title while keeping their biggest weapon fresh.
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