FIFA Golden Boot race heats up as Mbappé, Haaland score in Round of 32

Tuesday's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 draws saw both France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland on the scoresheet in their respective fixtures.

The Norwegian scored the late winner in their match against Ivory Coast to book a spot in the Round of 16 while Mbappé scored two goals against Sweden in a comfortable victory. The two football stars are definitely making the Golden Boot race very exciting!

Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland deliver in the World Cup yet again

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race is one of the most exciting and intense the tournament has ever seen. With a brace, Kylian Mbappé is now leading the race with 6 goals (from 4 matches), along with the legendary Lionel Messi who scored the same number in one less game.

Erling Haaland is right behind them with 5 goals. If Messi scores in Argentina's Round of 32 match against Cape Verde, he will go ahead of Mbappé, making the race extremely difficult to call. However, all records aside, the duo are having a fantastic run at the World Cup so far and the world is enjoying it!

Erling Haaland's clutch performance

On Tuesday, Norway and Ivory Coast met at the Dallas Stadium for the Round of 32 clash. While Norway lacked rhythm in the beginning, Antonio Nusa's opening goal in the 39th minute gave them the much needed push.

After the interval, Ivory Coast continued to attack until Amad Diallo scored one of the best goals of the tournament in the 74th minute to equalise. It seemed like the match would roll into extra-time until Norway's ultimate attacking weapon did what he does best.

Erling Haaland scored the late winner in the 86th minute, helping his country win 2-1 and secure their Round of 16 spot against Brazil. The 25-year-old now has an astounding 60 international goals in just 53 matches for Norway, a ratio few can match. The Manchester City star extended his record as Norway's all-time leading goalscorer.

Another Kylian Mbappé masterclass at the World Cup

France defeated Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 tie on Tuesday as Kylian Mbappé registered a brace to tie Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race with 6 goals. He has an edge in the race because of the two assists he provided in the World Cup so far.

Les Bleus had a comfortable win over the Swedes and will now meet Paraguay in the Round of 16. Mbappé opened the scoring in the 45th minute and in the second half, Bradley Barcola doubled the lead in the 53rd minute. The 27-year-old Real Madrid star scored again in the 74th minute to become the second-highest top-scorer at the World Cup (18), right behind Messi (19).

Mbappé is having the World Cup of dreams, per usual, and is now the highest goalscorer in the history of World Cup knockout matches with 10 goals in the single-elimination stages. He is also his country's all-time leading scorer, with 62 international goals in 102 appearances.

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