Messi still alone at the top, but Mbappé and Haaland are knocking on the door

The 2026 World Cup has entered the phase where every goal counts double - and where two players are chasing history. Kylian Mbappé scored two goals in each of France's two wins and now has 16 goals at World Cups, exactly as many as the legend Miroslav Klose. Above him remains only one - Lionel Messi with 18. On the other side, Erling Haaland, with braces against Iraq and Senegal, could become only the third player in history to score two goals in each of his first three World Cup matches. Both play in an era where records fall like dominoes - but the top still carries an Argentine name.

Ecuador toppled Germany - and it wasn't by chance

If anyone thought Germany would cruise through the group on autopilot, Ecuador brought them back to earth. The South Americans won 2:1 with goals from Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata, and reached the knockout stage for the first time in two decades. For Germany this isn't the kind of surprise that's forgotten in a week - it's a signal that the old hierarchy of world football no longer holds as much as Europe wants to believe. When an Ecuador topples Germany, maybe the problem isn't Ecuador.

Qatar 0:6, Tunisia 1:5 - a World Cup without mercy for the debutants

Six teams have already packed their bags, and some did it in the most painful way possible. Qatar - a former World Cup host - was flattened 6:0 by Canada. Tunisia conceded five to Sweden (5:1) and four to Japan. Turkey, Haiti, Jordan and Panama are also going home. None of the real favourites fell - France and Argentina are already in the knockouts, England and Spain a step away - but for the countries that waited years for this tournament, the expanded 48-team format turned out to be an invitation to a feast where some became the main course.

Rastoder on the verge of a Greek transfer - a Macedonian on half of Europe's radar

While the world watches the World Cup, one Macedonian international is quietly building his own story. Elmin Rastoder, after a season of 15 goals and six assists in 37 matches for Swiss champions Thun, is a step away from a transfer to the Greek giant Panathinaikos. Greek media write of a deal worth around 3.5 million euros, though Thun has raised the price to five. And it's not just PAO - Lyon and clubs from Germany have also entered the race. When half of Europe is asking about one of our strikers, it means he earned the move himself, without patrons.

Vardar prepares in Italy - quietly, without fanfare

The football club Vardar is continuing its summer preparations in Italy, where it will play two more friendlies before the new season. No big words, no overblown promises - something often missing here when it comes to a club with such history. Friendlies rarely tell the whole story, but the way a club builds its foundation says more than summer transfer headlines. The question for the fans stays the same as every summer: will the preparation turn into results this time, or will it once again remain just a nice press photo?