Los Angeles. Superstars lit up Tuesday's World Cup matches, with football great Lionel Messi of Argentina, Norway's Erling Haaland and France's Kylian Mbappe all among the goals.
From Messi's hat-trick against Algeria and Haaland's double against Iraq to Mbappe's brace versus Senegal, Tuesday's matches offered some comfort to those backing the favourites.
Messi is in the twilight of his career after moving to Major League Soccer in 2023, Haaland endured a dip in form midway through the Premier League season, and Mbappe suffered a slump during the second half of his La Liga campaign.
None of that mattered on Tuesday, as all three players took their chances in front of goal.
Mbappe rescued France from an underwhelming performance with two second-half strikes against Senegal, who were often the more dynamic side before his first goal in the final third of the match.
His second, which flew into the net, made him France's all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud, as his side secured a 3-1 victory.
Haaland, a dominant force in English football who had struggled for goals midway through the season, rediscovered his predatory instincts to help Norway to a 4-1 win.
But in the day's penultimate match, it was Messi who showed why many consider him the best player in the world.
Despite being past his peak, with his 39th birthday approaching, he scored his first World Cup hat-trick in a 3-0 victory.
Messi is now level with World Cup record scorer Miroslav Klose on 16 goals. His first goal at the finals came on this date 20 years ago, when he was 18.
On Wednesday, more prolific scorers will take to the pitch, with England's Harry Kane and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo leading their countries' efforts to begin the tournament with victory.
