Kylian Mbappé Eyes World Cup Glory, Not Messi’s Record

Kylian Mbappé is chasing history, but he is not chasing Lionel Messi.

Not yet.

The France forward moved to within a single goal of Messi’s all-time World Cup record on Tuesday night, scoring twice in a ruthless 3-0 dismantling of Sweden in the round of 32. That took him to 18 goals in 18 World Cup games, one behind Messi’s 19, and level with the Argentine at the top of this tournament’s charts on six.

But Mbappé’s eyes are fixed somewhere else: New York, July 19, the World Cup final.

“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – to make it to (the final on) July 19th and come back here,” he told reporters, the numbers around his name almost a distraction to him.

He knows what the rest of the world is talking about. Records. Rankings. Legacy.

“We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time. Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings – I’m not telling anyone anything new there.

“But I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”

Messi and Argentina will expect to take their own step on Friday against Cape Verde, heavy underdogs on paper but the sort of opponent this World Cup keeps reminding the giants not to overlook. France, meanwhile, head to Philadelphia for a last‑16 tie with Paraguay, a team that has already shown it is happy to suffer, dig in and wait for its moment.

Paraguay’s ultra-defensive plan suffocated Germany and ended the four-time champions’ campaign on penalties. There is no indication they will open up now, not against a France side humming in attack and bristling with options.

Mbappé knows it will be a different kind of test.

“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement,” he said. “Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches.”

France showed that cutting edge against Sweden. Mbappé, gliding through lines and finishing with icy precision, looked every inch the heir to the World Cup throne. Yet the most telling image came after one of his goals, when he and his teammates sprinted to embrace Didier Deschamps, their coach grieving the recent death of his mother.

“I think that reflects the spirit of this group – it's part of our DNA. We are all together,” Mbappé told beIN Sports. “We know the coach has been through a difficult experience; unfortunately, everyone goes through that at some point and it's very hard.”

France have their story. So do Belgium. So does almost everyone left standing.

Belgium’s golden generation on the clock

By topping Group G, Belgium have already corrected one wrong from Qatar. Four years after a dismal group-stage exit, they have at least played their way back into relevance.

A 5-1 dismantling of New Zealand on Friday sealed first place in the group. It was the kind of scoreline that restores a little swagger, that lets an ageing core believe there is one more run left in those legs.

Coach Rudi Garcia made no attempt to hide his satisfaction – or his ambition.

“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” he said in French. “Of course we wanted to win more — we know the story of our World Cup so far. Now it is time for the knockout phase. Senegal is a big team. But, you have to beat them, too, if you want to go far in a World Cup.”

The equation is simple. For this World Cup to mean anything for Belgium’s so-called golden generation, they must beat Senegal in Seattle on Wednesday. Only then can Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and their peers start to dream of something more than a respectable farewell.

Senegal, though, arrive battle-hardened. They survived one of the tournament’s most unforgiving groups, finishing third in Group I with three points and a plus‑2 goal difference in a pool that featured France and Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Lukaku, who knows a trap when he sees one, issued a clear warning.

“We know it will be a tough match,” he said in French. “Senegal has a lot of top-level players, and the coach is, too. I think it’s 50-50. We really shouldn’t underestimate them.”

Events elsewhere have only sharpened that message. Germany, out-thought and out-fought, fell to Paraguay on penalties. Morocco dumped the Netherlands out in the last 32. Two European heavyweights gone in a single night.

“It doesn’t matter who the favorite is,” Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere said. “We have confidence and need to be sharp. Yesterday showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the favorite.”

Belgium’s defence, marshalled by Thibaut Courtois, has conceded just twice in three games. That parsimony now faces a full-throttle Senegal attack led by Sadio Mané, fresh from a 5-0 demolition of Iraq.

Senegal’s problem lies at the other end. First-choice goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, injured in a 3-2 defeat to Norway in the group stage, will not be available. Coach Pape Thiaw confirmed that reserve keeper Mory Diaw, who kept a clean sheet against Iraq, is set to continue.

“Mory had a great performance,” Thiaw said in French. “He kept a clean sheet and I think (as) the goalkeeper tomorrow, we hope that we’ll also come up with a clean sheet.”

Thiaw sees opportunity where others see imbalance.

“It’s not because you finished top of your group that you’re not going to be knocked out in the next round,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened with the Netherlands. It’s another tournament starting. We are looking for the win tomorrow so that we can continue our journey.”

Garcia, for his part, will have an extra defensive option available. Center back Zeno Debast, yet to feature this summer due to a left leg injury, has rejoined full training and is fit enough for the bench.

“Zeno Debast is with the group, but tomorrow is still too soon,” Garcia said. “He is making progress, though. He still needs time to get fully fit, as was anticipated. I am very satisfied with the defenders we have already called upon.”

Belgium know the stakes. One more slip, one more off-night, and a generation that promised so much could vanish with a whimper.

England walk the tightrope

Germany gone. The Netherlands gone. Two traditional powers already paying the price for complacency and fine margins.

England have watched all of it.

On Wednesday in Atlanta, Thomas Tuchel’s side face the Democratic Republic of Congo for a place in the last 16, a match that carries the weight of a 60-year wait for a major trophy. They are favourites. They know it. Their coach knows it.

“I feel it is a privilege to be in these situations. I think we can just accept it, we are the favorites (against DR Congo),” Tuchel said on Tuesday.

Then came the caveat.

“The games so far in round of 32 speak a very clear language. It's narrow, narrow margins.”

Tuchel will lean heavily on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, his two world-class anchors in the spine of the team. But he will have to do without Reece James, the influential defender ruled out through injury.

DR Congo arrive as one of the tournament’s most intriguing patchwork projects. Of their 26-man squad, 20 were born outside the country, many in France. Yoane Wissa is a familiar face to England’s defenders from the Premier League. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe once wore England shirts at youth level before choosing to represent DR Congo.

Their coach, Sébastien Desabre, made the dynamic crystal clear.

“Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals,” the Frenchman said. “The pressure is on the England team.”

That is the danger for England: a team with nothing to lose, with a squad built from players who have had to fight for every international minute, who relish the chance to bloody a heavyweight nose.

In a World Cup where favourites are falling and the script keeps getting torn up, this is precisely the kind of night that can define – or derail – a campaign.

USA braced for a defining night

While Europe frets over shocks and upsets, the United States is gearing up for something different: a landmark.

In a crowded American sports landscape, football has long been the outsider, pushing at the edges of mainstream attention. On Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, that might change.

Up to 30 million viewers are expected to tune in for the USA’s knockout clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina, a primetime stage with the potential to shift perceptions of the sport in the country.

“Everyone knows in the back of our minds what this could do for this country,” midfielder Gio Reyna said.

Christian Pulisic and his teammates have already felt the swell of support.

“We feel the country rallying around us. We see the momentum it's bringing to the sport in this country, just through the group stage. But we also understand if we make a nice run in this tournament, what it could really do for the sport.”

The USA have not won a World Cup knockout match in almost 25 years. That statistic hangs over them, but it also offers a chance: win, and they are not just advancing. They are making history on home soil.

Haaland’s breakthrough, France’s statement

This World Cup has also opened new doors.

Erling Haaland, the Norwegian goal machine so often confined to watching major tournaments from afar, finally has his World Cup moment. His close-range finish against Ivory Coast sealed a 2-1 win and carried Norway into the last 16 for the first time.

It felt inevitable. It still meant everything.

France, though, remain the team that looks most at ease under the glare. Against Sweden, Mbappé and company produced a performance that mixed flair with control, a display that suggested they have shifted smoothly into knockout mode.

The goals, the celebrations with Deschamps, the togetherness Mbappé spoke about – it all pointed to a group that understands both the emotional and tactical demands of a long tournament.

Paraguay, Belgium, England, the USA, Senegal, Norway: all of them now step into the same unforgiving spotlight.

France, with their star chasing Messi’s record and a final date in New York on the horizon, know better than most that from here on, there are no second chances.