The exciting FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race gets underway as France sensation Kylian Mbappe overtakes Argentina’s Lionel Messi as top scorer, leading defending champions France into the semi-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory in Morocco on Thursday.The Real Madrid champions experienced a rollercoaster evening at Gillette Stadium. Mbappé initially missed a golden opportunity to put his team ahead in the 28th minute when he drew the ball from Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui inside the box. However, Moroccan midfielder Yassine Bounou read the penalty well, diving down to his left to deny the French captain.Undeterred by the heartbreak of a first-half penalty, the French striker produced a moment of magic in the 60th minute. Driving deep into the penalty area, Mbappé unleashed a rocket that flew past the keeper and into the post. The impressive strike became his eighth goal of the tournament, pulling him level with Messi and putting him one goal ahead of Norwegian machine Erling Haaland. Mbappe has taken the top spot on Messi’s goals as he has three assists, two more than the Argentine legend.North Africa’s resistance was broken after just six minutes when striker Ousmane Dembélé headed home to double the lead. With the game well secured, coach Didier Deschamps replaced the midfielder in the 77th minute, allowing Mbappé to receive cheers from the packed stadium.Apart from the Golden Boot competition, Mbappé continues to rewrite the football history books. His strike was his 20th World Cup goal in just 20 games. He is now just one goal behind Messi on the all-time World Cup record. The Argentine legend leads the way with 21 goals in 31 games in six different formats.The pressure now returns to the fighting camps. Haaland will lead the line for Norway against England in their quarter-final on Saturday, while Messi will look to reclaim the lead as Argentina take on Switzerland later that night.
