Algeria kept their World Cup hopes alive with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over debutants Jordan in San Francisco, denying the newcomers a historic first point at the tournament.
Jordan frustrated Algeria for much of the opening half with a disciplined defensive display and stunned their more fancied opponents when midfielder Nizar Al Rashdan capitalised on a mistake by Ramiz Zerrouki before producing a composed finish with the outside of his right foot in the 36th minute.
Despite dominating possession, Algeria struggled to break down Jordan’s resistance before the interval. Riyad Mahrez, making his first World Cup start since 2014, went close after being sent through by a long ball but was denied by goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila, while Amine Gouiri and Fares Chaibi also squandered opportunities.
The Desert Foxes, however, emerged with renewed urgency after the restart and eventually found a breakthrough in the 69th minute when Nadhir Benbouali rose highest to head home Mahrez’s corner. Algeria’s persistence paid off again eight minutes from time as Gouiri struck the winner to seal a crucial victory and maintain his side’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
While Algeria celebrated a vital triumph, fellow African representatives Senegal suffered a second consecutive setback, falling 3-2 to Norway in New Jersey. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland delivered another masterclass, scoring twice as the Scandinavians secured their place in the round of 32.
Marcus Pedersen had given Norway the lead shortly before halftime after punishing a poor clearance from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly. Haaland then doubled the advantage moments after the restart when he latched onto Martin Odegaard’s through ball, becoming Norway’s leading World Cup scorer in the process.
Ismaila Sarr briefly reignited Senegal’s hopes with a goal, but Haaland restored Norway’s two-goal cushion with a composed volley off the crossbar. Sarr added another in stoppage time and nearly snatched a dramatic equaliser in the dying seconds, only to send his header over the bar as Senegal’s search for a first win continued.
Elsewhere, France eased past Iraq in Philadelphia with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice in a weather-disrupted encounter. Lightning strikes in the area forced a delay of more than two hours before the second half could resume, making it the first match at the tournament to be interrupted by severe weather.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a precise effort from the edge of the area and struck again after the lengthy delay to take his World Cup tally to 16 goals in just 16 appearances. The France captain now sits only two goals behind Lionel Messi, who earlier became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
The Argentine superstar reached a historic milestone after netting twice in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria, taking his World Cup tally to 18 goals and surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16. Messi recovered from an early penalty miss to score his 17th goal before adding another in stoppage time to further cement his place in football history.
With Argentina already through to the round of 32 and Jordan next on their schedule, the 39-year-old forward appears well positioned to extend his record. Remarkably, 12 of Messi’s 18 World Cup goals have come after the age of 35, underlining the enduring brilliance of one of the game’s greatest players.
