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Day 12: Messi Passes Klose, Egypt Ends a 92-Year Wait, and France Outlasts a Storm

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Three matches, three No. 10s, and a day the record books will not forget. Because of how this World Cup’s clock works, Day 12 actually opens late on a Sunday night in Vancouver — New Zealand and Egypt kicked off at 1:00 AM UTC, which was still Sunday evening on Canada’s Pacific coast, so the schedule files it under 22 June. From there the day crosses Texas and ends in a flooded Philadelphia.

By the time the last whistle went, Lionel Messi stood alone as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, Mohamed Salah had finally won a World Cup match at the ninth time of asking, and Kylian Mbappé had brushed past both Iraq and a thunderstorm. All three favourites either booked a place in the last 32 or moved to the brink of one.

New Zealand 1–3 Egypt: Salah ends the 92-year wait

For 43 minutes, Egypt were staring at a fiasco. Finn Surman — a 6’3” defender who earns his living for the Portland Timbers — climbed unmarked to meet Tim Payne’s corner and head the All Whites in front in the 15th minute. According to BBC Sport, it was the first time Egypt had ever trailed at half-time in a World Cup match. The site’s match centre logs the bare facts here — the 1–3 and the line-ups — and the story all came after the break.

What a break it was. Mohamed Hany’s cross from the right found Mostafa Ziko, whose header squirmed through Max Crocombe’s glove on 58 minutes. Nine minutes later Salah and Ziko exchanged passes on a quick transition and the captain swept a left-footed finish into the bottom corner — his first goal of the tournament and, per Al Jazeera, his 68th for his country, one shy of head coach Hossam Hassan’s national record. Substitute Trezeguet dived to head in Salah’s outswinging corner on 82 to settle it.

The numbers only tell half of it. This was Egypt’s first World Cup win in their history — at the ninth attempt, 92 years after their 1934 debut (FIFA, BBC). Salah, 34, became the oldest Egyptian to score at a World Cup and, Sky Sports noted, the oldest African player on record to both score and assist in a single finals game. He left to a standing ovation on 85. “It’s incredible. I don’t know how to express it in words,” he told FIFA. Egypt go top of Group G; New Zealand, still hunting a first World Cup victory of their own, sit bottom.

Argentina 2–0 Austria: Messi alone at the summit

It very nearly started with a blot. Lautaro Martínez was bundled over by Stefan Posch, VAR pointed to the spot, and Messi — taking his first Argentina penalty since the one he missed against Poland in 2022 (Sky Sports) — dragged his ninth-minute effort wide of the post. David Alaba then twice smothered him in open play, and a pro-Argentina crowd of 70,649 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington began to fret.

The record came anyway. On 38 minutes Facundo Medina drove in from the left, Thiago Almada cleverly let the ball run through his legs, and Messi guided a first-time finish into the bottom corner. That was his 17th World Cup goal, one clear of Miroslav Klose’s 16 — and when he stabbed in the rebound from Julián Álvarez’s saved shot deep in stoppage time, he had 18 and the outright record (FIFA). Argentina finished with 54% of the ball, a 12–6 edge in shots and 2.65 expected goals to 0.50; Austria’s clearest sight was a Marcel Sabitzer free-kick, on his 100th cap, that Emiliano Martínez pushed away.

All of it landed on 22 June — 40 years to the day since Diego Maradona’s two goals against England in Mexico — so the date did some of the storytelling itself. Messi, the hat-trick scorer in the opener against Algeria and now on five goals in two Group J games, has also scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, a run matched only by Just Fontaine (1958) and Jairzinho (1970), per FIFA. The holders are through to the Round of 32 as group leaders with a match to spare. “There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it,” said Messi (Sky Sports), who turns 39 on Wednesday (France 24).

France 3–0 Iraq: Mbappé beats Iraq and the weather

Mbappé needed 14 minutes at Lincoln Financial Field — a left-footed strike from the edge of the box, teed up by Michael Olise, beyond Ahmed Basil, who was making his first start of the tournament after Jalal Hassan conceded four against Norway (France 24). Then the sky opened. With lightning in the area, the players were taken off at half-time and did not return for more than two hours — the first weather delay of this World Cup. Supporters were funnelled into the concourses and ground staff squeegeed standing water off the turf before the restart (CBS Sports, Al Jazeera).

If the interruption was meant to reset the contest, it did the opposite. On 54 minutes Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen’s attempt to play out from a goal-kick fell apart, Ousmane Dembélé seized the loose ball and squared for Mbappé to tap in. On 66, Olise turned his marker and slid Dembélé through to finish low — the Ballon d’Or holder’s first goal at a major tournament in his 20th appearance for France, as BBC Sport noted. France had 19 shots to four; Iraq did not manage a single effort on target. Mbappé spurned a late chance at his hat-trick and was withdrawn on 91; his brace took him to 16 World Cup goals — level with Klose for second on the all-time list and, as of a few hours earlier, two behind Messi. Iraq lost Aymen Hussein to an apparent injury on 26 (France 24) and remain pointless.

Group standings and what’s next

In Group G, Egypt sit top on four points and need only a draw with Iran in Seattle on Friday to be certain of the last 32; New Zealand (one point) must beat Belgium — and finally win a World Cup match — to keep their own hopes flickering. In Group I, France (six points) are already through and meet Norway in Foxborough on Friday with first place on the line, while Iraq, still without a point, face Senegal needing a win and help elsewhere. Under the 48-team format the eight best third-placed teams also advance, so even a doomed-looking campaign isn’t quite dead — the tiebreaker maths is laid out in our group-stage explainer. In Group J, Argentina (six) go through as winners with a game in hand and close against Jordan; Austria must dust themselves off for their finale.

Full tables live on the groups page, and we’ll be tracking every match as it happens — follow the live scores here.

Sources

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