Two of the greatest forwards in world football will go head-to-head at Boston Stadium on Friday as France and Kylian Mbappe take on Norway and Erling Haaland. Both nations have won their opening two group-stage matches at the World Cup, helped by devastating displays from their star strikers. Mbappe and Haaland have each scored twice in both of their opening games, leaving them on four goals for the tournament. Lionel Messi leads the race for the Golden Boot with five.
With top spot in Group I still up for grabs, both players are expected to start despite their teams having already secured qualification for the knockout stages. The match effectively serves as a playoff to determine who finishes first and, in theory, earns a more favourable path in the bracket.
“Mbappe and Haaland, both on four goals, face off in World Cup group decider.”
Since August 2022, France have won 69.8% of their matches with Mbappe in the side, compared with just 50% without him. Mbappe, France's all-time leading goalscorer, also helps make the team more productive in attack. During that period, Les Bleus have averaged 2.3 goals per game with him in the team, compared with 1.9 without him. Given Norway's comparatively limited depth, it is no surprise that Haaland is even more crucial to his nation. Since August 2022, Norway have won 64.5% of matches with Haaland in the team, compared with just 33.3% without him.
This World Cup has shown that neither player is daunted by the pressure of a major tournament. The Frenchman trails the 39-year-old Messi by just two goals after scoring 16 times in 16 World Cup appearances. Haaland is playing in his first World Cup and has taken to the tournament like a Viking rower to water. He is the sixth player in World Cup history to score multiple goals in each of his first two appearances at the tournament and only the second to do so in the past 50 years, after Harry Kane for England in 2018. His recent form for Norway has been remarkable, too. He has scored in 12 consecutive competitive internationals, including an incredible 16 goals in his last six matches.
On the international stage, Haaland has also been the more prolific scorer overall. Mbappe has an impressive 60 international goals in 100 games, but the Norway striker is just one behind on 59 despite having played only 52 matches for his country. Haaland's father Alf Inge admits his son is driven by the prospect of usurping Mbappe on the biggest stage of all. He told French radio earlier this week: "They have been rivals for a long time. I think they both enjoy the challenge and that motivates them. If one scores, the other wants to score too."
Mbappe, who will feel an extra sense of responsibility as captain to perform in the absence of boss Didier Deschamps, has rattled in 60 goals in a century of appearances for France. It's scary to consider what his final World Cup haul might look like when all is said and done given he only trails leader Lionel Messi, who has played at six finals, by two goals.