Paris [France], July 1 (ANI): Superstar striker Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland once again delivered magic for France and Norway, respectively, while Mexico continued their historic FIFA World Cup 2026 run with the conclusion of the latest series of matches.Haaland continued his goal-scoring spree for Norway, registering his 25th strike in the last 13 international fixtures in a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, while Mbappe became the ultimate ‘knockout man’ for France in their 3-0 win over Sweden, while also chasing Lionel Messi’s newly set all-time FIFA World Cup goals record. Mexico, who beat Ecuador 2-0 to make it to the round of 16, continued their historic run in the tournament, which has seen them not concede even a single goal so far.*Norway (2-1) Ivory CoastFor 38 minutes, it was all Ivory Coast. Physical, fast, relentless. But without a goal to show for all the effort. Norway got the lead in the 39th minute, courtesy a fine strike in the 39th minute from Antonio Nusa. At the age of 21 years and 74 days, Nusa is Norway’s youngest goal-scorer across all major competitions (FIFA World Cup+Euro Championship), as per Opta Analyst.Captain Martin Odegaard also became the third on-record player to register an assist in each of his first three FIFA WC appearances, after Igor Belanov for the USSR in 1986 and Michael Ballack for Germany in 2002.In the 74th minute, it was a sensational strike from Amad Diallo that levelled the scores and put back the African side in contention, until the ‘inevitable’ Erling Haaland secured a 86th minute winner, marking his 25th goal in national colours in 13 fixtures.Norway will now play Brazil in their round of 16 clash, in a battle between two generational talents: Haaland and Brazil’s Vinicius Jr.*France (3-0) SwedenAnother match, another brace from France superstar Kylian Mbappe (45th and 74th minutes), which equalled his goal tally with the Golden Boot holder Lionel Messi. Add a sprinkle of genius assists from Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 Ballon d’Or holder and Michael Elise, and that is how France registered another dominant win in the tournament.Bradley Barcola (53rd minute) was also among the goal scorers.Mbappe’s strikes made him the ultimate pressure man in football, with 10 knockout stage goals, the most by any player in the history of the competition. Mbappe’s knack for delivering when the stakes are highest has defined his international career. His updated goal tallies paint the picture of a player performing at unprecedented efficiency. In the knockout stage, he has now scored 10 goals, bypassing Ronaldo (8) & Leonidas (8) for the record.The brace also took his World Cup tally to 18 goals in just 18 appearances, leaving him one shy of Messi’s all-time record of 19 goals, achieved across 29 World Cup matches.The pairing of Dembele and Mbappe continues to create magic, being involved in six goals together (four assists from Dembele to Mbappe, two from Mbappe to Dembele), the most by a pair in tournament history, as per Opta Analyst.Olise also became the first player to deliver five or more assists in a single FIFA WC since Germany’s Thomas Habler (five in the 1994 edition), with only Brazilian icon Pele (six in the 1970 edition) having more assists (on record since 1966) than anyone else.France has registered at least three goals in each of their last five FIFA WC outings, the longest such streak by any nation in the tournament’s history, confirming their status as the football world’s goal-scoring juggernaut.Didier Deschamps, in-charge of the French side for his final major tournament, also secured a major managerial record with his ninth FIFA World Cup knockout win as French manager, the most by any coach in the tournament’s history.*Mexico (2-0) SwedenMexico continued their fine FIFA World Cup run, beating Ecuador 2-0 on home soil, continuing their run as the only team that has not conceded in their first four matches of the tournament, becoming the first team to do so since 1994.Mexico advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a convincing 2-0 victory over Ecuador in their Round of 32 clash on Tuesday (local time), ending a long wait for a knockout-stage triumph at the tournament.As per Opta Analyst, they are the first team since 1994 to keep a clean sheet in their first four FIFA World Cup matches, after Switzerland in 2006.The win marked Mexico’s first FIFA World Cup knockout-stage victory since 1986 and snapped an eight-match streak of eliminations in World Cup knockout fixtures, the longest such run in the competition’s history.As per Opta Analyst, Julian (three goals) and Raul (two goals), who found the net once each in the match, became the second pair of Mexico players to score multiple goals in a single FIFA WC, after Luis Hernandez (4), Ricardo Pelaez (2) in 1998. These two players are having an absolutely magical outing for France.Julian also joined Manuel Negrete (versus Bulgaria in 1986) as the second Mexican player to register a goal and deliver an assist in a FIFA World Cup knockout match.Now, Julian has secured four goal involvements in the ongoing FIFA World Cup (with three goals and an assist), levelling with Luis Hernandez (four goals) in the 1998 WC for most by a Mexican in a single WC. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)