Algeria breathed new life into their FIFA World Cup campaign on Monday after coming from behind to defeat Jordan 2-1 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, a result that eliminated their fellow Arab opponents and kept the Desert Foxes firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage.

Still hurting from their opening 3-0 defeat to defending champions Argentina, Algeria showed resilience and determination to overturn a first-half deficit with two second-half goals and claim their first points of the tournament.

Jordan stunned the North Africans when Nizar Al-Rashdan capitalised on a defensive lapse to put his side ahead before the interval, leaving Algeria facing the prospect of an early exit from the competition.

But Vladimir Petkovic’s men responded strongly after the break, dominating proceedings and eventually finding the goals needed to secure a crucial victory.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Petkovic praised his team’s response and insisted the result was a fair reflection of their performance.

“I think ultimately we’ve produced two good performances. We deserve to win this game, and it certainly gives us a lot of confidence and belief ahead of our next match,” the Algeria coach said.

Petkovic admitted his side had paid the price for a defensive mistake in the opening half but commended Jordan for the challenge they posed.

“Jordan are a solid, combative side and deserved their place at the World Cup,” he added.

The victory leaves Algeria level on three points with Austria in Group J, three points behind leaders Argentina, who have already secured qualification for the Round of 32.

With one group match remaining, the Desert Foxes have put themselves back in the race for a knockout berth and now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny.

“What mattered for us was to win this match, to stay in the hunt, to make it through to the knockout stage, and ultimately to have our fate in our own hands,” Petkovic said.

“Nothing has yet been decided, but we’re in a good position.”

The win has restored confidence within the Algerian camp and sets up a decisive final group encounter as the North Africans seek to extend their stay at the World Cup.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK

The expanded FIFA World Cup was designed to bring more nations, more matches and more stories to football’s grandest stage. Yet, barely two rounds into the tournament, some familiar names are once again dominating the spotlight.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have emerged as the leading lights of the competition, delivering the kind of star power FIFA, broadcasters and fans around the world had hoped for.

In a country where sporting superstars command enormous attention, the United States has quickly embraced a tournament being illuminated by football’s biggest attractions.

At the forefront is Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who continues to defy age and expectation.

The 38-year-old has already rewritten history by becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. After opening his campaign with a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, Messi followed up with both goals in a 2-0 win over Austria.

Even a missed penalty against Austria could not overshadow another commanding performance from the Argentine maestro, whose tally of 18 World Cup goals has further cemented his legendary status.

If Messi is setting the pace, France’s Kylian Mbappe is not far behind.

The Real Madrid forward has rediscovered his sparkle after a challenging club season and is once again tormenting defenders. Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal before adding another brace in a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Iraq.

Those four goals have moved him within touching distance of Messi’s World Cup scoring mark and reaffirmed his status as one of the most dangerous players in the tournament.

While Messi and Mbappe continue their familiar rivalry, Norway’s Erling Haaland has spectacularly announced himself at his first FIFA World Cup.

The prolific striker arrived at the tournament under intense scrutiny, with many wondering whether he could replicate his club form on the biggest international stage.

The answer has been emphatic.

Haaland scored twice in Norway’s opening 4-1 win over Iraq and repeated the feat in Monday’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Senegal, taking his tally to four goals in just two matches.

His goals have propelled Norway into the knockout rounds and transformed the Scandinavians into one of the tournament’s most exciting teams.

The showdown between Haaland and Mbappe now looms as one of the marquee fixtures of the group stage when Norway face France on Friday in a battle for top spot in Group I and, potentially, early leadership in the Golden Boot race.

Another young star capturing the imagination is Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

Spain struggled to a frustrating goalless draw against Cape Verde in his absence, but the 18-year-old made an immediate impact upon his return against Saudi Arabia.

Yamal scored the opening goal in a 4-0 victory that effectively settled the contest by halftime, producing a performance that underlined why many view him as the future face of world football.

There was a poetic symmetry to his latest display. Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006, and two decades later, Yamal appears poised to inherit football’s brightest spotlight.

England captain Harry Kane has also joined the tournament’s early headline-makers.

His brace against Croatia moved him level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England, putting him within touching distance of becoming his country’s outright leading scorer in the competition.

The race for the Golden Boot is already emerging as one of the tournament’s most compelling subplots.

Four years ago, Mbappe finished as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, narrowly edging Messi, who ultimately lifted the trophy after Argentina’s dramatic triumph.

A repeat of that final remains a tantalising possibility. But with Haaland announcing his arrival, Yamal continuing his rapid rise and Kane chasing history, the 2026 World Cup is proving that while established stars still shine brightest, new heroes are never far from emerging.

For now, though, Messi, Mbappe and Haaland are ensuring that football’s biggest stage remains illuminated by its biggest names.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, METLIFE STADIUM, NEW JERSEY

Norway’s players sat on the pitch and performed the “rowing” celebration made iconic by their fans during the World Cup after reaching the knockout stage with a nervy 3-2 win over Senegal.

The ‘Viking Row’ sees fans sit in a longboat formation shoulder-to-shoulder, uniformly rowing to the beat of a drum, which gradually increases in tempo.

At their first finals since 1998, red-clad Norwegian fans have been doing their Viking row in stadiums, on escalators and even in New York’s Times Square, but it has never been more emotional or joyous than after the final whistle on Monday.

Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, whose double helped secure the win, brought the squad together to ⁠perform the row in front of the fans, but they had to wait for coach Stale Solbakken, who sprinted up the steps in the stand at the final whistle to kiss and hug his wife.

With the squad sitting in rows resembling those of a Viking longboat and Solbakken squeezing into the middle behind Haaland, Odegaard began beating the drum to a joyous climax.

Norway’s players celebrate their dramatic 3-2 victory over Senegal by performing the now-famous “Viking Row” on the pitch. Led by captain Martin Ødegaard on the drum and inspired by Erling Haaland’s match-winning brace, the jubilant Norwegians recreated the fan-inspired ritual after securing a place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 1998

TV pictures showed fans back in Trondheim joining in as the celebration brought Norway supporters around the world together, but midfielder Patrick Berg revealed that he did not think the row was going to catch on.

“At the start, I think people doubted a little bit – like, is this something that’s going to last or ⁠just something that’s going to die off? But it’s been a massive part of our World Cup so far,” he told reporters.

“Doing it in New York is a really beautiful moment for us together. They started doing it back home in Oslo before we left for the World Cup, and now I think the whole world is aware of it … I feel ⁠the energy that we create together with (the fans) is really important for us.”

“It was incredibly fun,” forward Alexander Sorloth said, beaming with pride after the game. “A lot more fun than I would have thought. When you hear the sound, it’s magical.”

Asked how far ⁠he and the Viking rowing might take him and his team at the World Cup, Sorloth was confident.

“We’ll see, but if we reach our top level, it’s a tournament and everything can happen, but if we reach ⁠our top level, we can go far,” he said.

Norway are second in the group with six points, behind France on goal difference, with the two teams meeting in their final Group I game on Friday.

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