- Lionel Messi, now 39, keeps rewriting history — seven goals in four games, the first player to reach 20 World Cup goals, scored a World Cup hat-trick as the oldest man to do so, and has found the net in eight straight World Cup matches.
- Argentina nearly crashed out to debutants Cape Verde (equalizer in the 103rd minute), but Messi’s 111th-minute set piece led to Cristian Romero’s headed “own goal” that rescued them.
- With Egypt up next, Argentina — and a captain a year shy of 40 — could chase the unthinkable: back-to-back World Cups, a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1962.
The news, distilled into what matters.
Get the full experience in the app — topics, comments, and audio summaries.