A 72-year World Cup wonder! Three superstars scored braces on the same day, leading their teams to advance early, making the Golden Boot race unprecedentedly fierce.

On June 23, Beijing time, the second round of Group I and Group J matches took place in the World Cup group stage. On this matchday, three megastars—Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland—each scored a brace and helped their teams secure group-stage qualification with one match to spare.

In an earlier match, Argentina defeated Austria 2-0, with the 39-year-old football king Messi netting a brace. In two matches, Messi has been in red-hot form, scoring five goals, which brings his total to 18, making him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

In the later match, France beat Iraq 3-0, with Mbappé scoring one goal in each half, also completing a brace—his second consecutive brace in two group games.

Mbappé has now surpassed Ronaldo Nazário with 16 goals, tying Miroslav Klose for second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list, just two goals behind Messi.

In the latest match, Norway narrowly defeated Senegal 3-2. The 25-year-old superstar striker Haaland, despite hitting the post from an open goal in the second half, regained his form and also scored a brace for the second consecutive game. With four goals in his first two World Cup appearances, he has become Norway's all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

In the first round of group matches, Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland also played on the same day. At that time, Mbappé and Haaland scored braces while Messi bagged a hat-trick. The three superstars dazzled from afar, thrilling fans immensely.

Currently, Messi leads the scoring chart with five goals, while Haaland and Mbappé are tied for second with four goals each. The three firmly occupy the top three positions in the standings.

This isthe second time in history that this has occurred—the first was 72 years ago at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland (when Kocsis, Probst, and Morlock all scored 4+ goals)..

If all three can advance far enough in the knockout stage, this World Cup's Golden Boot race might become unprecedentedly fierce.