France F Kylian Mbappé and Norway F Erling Haaland have cemented their status “as the new order of global superstars” in what could be the final FIFA World Cup with Argentina F Lionel Messi and Portugal F Cristiano Ronaldo according to Chuck Booth of CBSSPORTS.com. Mbappé is the “center of attention for whatever he does.” Alongside him, Haaland is making his World Cup debut this summer, scoring two first-half goals against Iraq in Norway’s opener. Despite not being “at his best” Tuesday in France’s opener against Senegal, Mbappé’s two goals “shows how high his ceiling really is.” It was a historic day for him as he became the top scorer in history for France with his 58th goal for Les Bleus (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/16). The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Jason Gay writes between Messi’s hat trick and the goals from Mbappé and Haaland, Tuesday was “about the stars.” The “showy goal-scoring from the game’s best players” makes for “indisputable fun which draws the audience in.” FIFA knows that “no matter how much soccer’s governing body overexpands the tournament, price-gouges tickets or inserts goofy gimmicks like those hydration breaks, the game eventually takes over, and it’s often great theater” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/17).
TAKING THE BATON: The GLOBE & MAIL’s Cathal Kelly wrote Mbappé is the “first of the they-named-a-shoe-after-me class to act like that perch is a responsibility, not just a marketing hook.” After a slow start on Tuesday, Mbappé “remembered that his Nike deal is running out, and that his next one will be more of an IPO than a contract.” He also “accomplished a couple of things.” He took France “from among the favourites to slightly above them all” and jumped into third place all-time in World Cup goals scored with 14. Kelly: “And he let FIFA off the hook.” The World Cup is “about stars.” Expanding the tournament is not “meant to make it harder for the Brazils or Englands.” It is “meant to give you more of a chance to watch the players you know on those teams.” Until Tuesday, the stars “were letting corporate’s plan down.” Now that Mbappé “has clocked in, everyone else will feel the pressure he is applying” (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/16).
THOR-LIKE FIGURE: In Boston, Chad Finn wrote the “biggest reason, almost literally, to cheer for Norway is Haaland, their 6-foot-5-inch scoring machine who is surrounded by several similarly sized Norse horses on a tough, skilled, and fun-to-watch club.” Haaland is “kind of a Norse Gronkowski,” as he “demonstrated with some good-time antics while on camera” at a recent Hurricanes game. He added Norway “felt like the home team” on Tuesday -- and even “felt a lot like the usual home team, and not the Revolution.” The country’s “Viking row” cheer, in which their fans “roar and giddily mime rowing a ship, is inspired,” and their fans “will break it out just about anytime and anywhere, including when the mood strikes on the escalator at South Station” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/16).
NIGHT TO REMEMBER: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote the fans who trekked to Foxborough on Tuesday for Norway-Iraq “got their money’s worth.” Haaland was the man “everyone came to see” and he “delivered in a big way.” It was a night to celebrate for the “majority-Norway crowd,” in their red jerseys and Viking horn helmets. Volin: “Though not quite as raucous as the visiting Scots last weekend, the Norwegians spent the evening chanting and celebrating with their synchronized Viking row that is becoming a social media sensation” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/16). Also in Boston, Nicole Yang notes on Monday night, more than 2,000 Norwegians “gathered at Big Night Live to celebrate their return to soccer’s biggest stage.” Throughout the Tuesday game, the sections at Boston Stadium “decked out in red and blue operated as one -- serenading the crowd, belting out chants, and, of course, orchestrating their classic ‘Viking Row.’” Although the Scots and the Tartan Army “have taken over Boston, winning over the hearts of many, the Norwegians seemingly have begun to lay claim, too.” Their “vibe on Tuesday was infectious” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17).
