Messi and Salah set for Atlanta clash as World Cup quarter-final picture takes shape

France have booked a place in the World Cup quarter-finals through Kylian Mbappé, Norway are through with Erling Haaland, and England advanced after Harry Kane helped secure a 3-2 win over Mexico. The tournament's leading figures continue to command attention, and the stage could grow even larger now that Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo has played his final World Cup match.

The last two Round of 16 fixtures take place on Tuesday. Switzerland meet Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the standout tie pits Argentina against Egypt in Atlanta, with Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah at the centre of it.

Messi has scored seven goals in four matches, putting him level with Mbappé and Haaland in a crowded Golden Boot race. He has also found the net in a record eight straight World Cup games, a run stretching back to Argentina's 2022 title campaign, and keeps extending his career tournament total of 20 goals.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Monday that the competition has been demanding for every side. "I think this World Cup has been, is very tricky for everyone. It seems there is no clear favourite," he said. "I am convinced that if we didn't resort to our character in the last match we would be out as Cape Verde was giving us a very hard day."

Salah has long been the public face of Egyptian football. A four-time English Premier League Golden Boot winner, he is also the league's all-time leading foreign-born scorer. Among his standout achievements is taking Egypt further at a World Cup than the country has ever gone before.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan spoke boldly ahead of the match. "My dreams have no limits. My ambitions have no limits. I promise that we will do everything to live up to the expectations (of fans)," he said. "We're no underdogs. We're big in every respect. We are a civilisation that is 7,000 years old, even more than 7,000 years."