Mbappé becomes France's all-time top scorer, Kane joins elite company, and Real Madrid's rebuild accelerates

Week 2 of the World Cup group stage sorted the contenders from the doubts. France, England, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands each made firm statements; Turkey became the tournament's first eliminated European nation; and Portugal quietly produced one of the least convincing performances by a pre-tournament favourite. Meanwhile, the summer transfer window entered its second week, and Real Madrid confirmed signings at a pace not seen since the Florentino Pérez megabuy era.

The match was billed as England's opener and turned into their best 90 minutes under Thomas Tuchel. Croatia twice equalized — Martin Baturina curled in at 36 minutes, Petar Musa added a second at 45+5 — but England's second half was a different story. 1

Harry Kane opened in the 12th minute with a penalty after Luka Modrić fouled Noni Madueke, then headed a second at 42 from a Declan Rice corner. 1 The brace took Kane to ten World Cup goals, matching Gary Lineker's England record, and made him only the second England player — after David Beckham — to score at three separate World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026). 2 Jude Bellingham restored the lead at 47; Marcus Rashford, introduced as a substitute, put the game away at 85. 1

Tuchel's half-time message was candid. Kane told reporters: "The boss said to 'let the shackles off, what's the worse that could happen?'" — and the second half answered that. 1 Modrić, 40, was substituted off in the 58th minute — a visible signal that Croatia's golden generation is running out of road.

England's xG was 2.80 against Croatia's 0.71 on 11 shots on target. 3 The caveat: two goals conceded from Croatia's three shots on target. Tuchel has a front line; building the defensive wall is next.

Kylian Mbappé has 58 international goals. He passed Olivier Giroud with a brace against Senegal — first at 57 minutes, then a long-range rocket at 90+3 — to become France's all-time top scorer. 4 Giroud, watching from the BBC commentary box, said: "Congratulations Kylian, I'm happy for him." 4

Bradley Barcola scored France's second at 79 minutes; Ibrahim Mbaye (18) pulled one back for Senegal at 82 — becoming the youngest African scorer in World Cup history. Michael Olise, deployed centrally in the second half, was rated player of the match (BBC score: 8.01). A disputed VAR call denied Mbappé a penalty; referee Alireza Faghani ruled "the attacker initiates the contact." 4

Mbappé's World Cup total is now 14 — level with Gerd Müller, two behind Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16. 4

Norway returned to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and won immediately. Erling Haaland scored twice in the first half — 29 minutes (Møller Wolfe assist) and 43 minutes (pressing Iraq's goalkeeper into a rebound) — to become the first player in World Cup history to score two goals on debut. 5 He went to the tournament with 51 Norway goals in 57 games; the figure is now 53 in 59. Leo Østigård headed a third at 76 from an Ødegaard corner, and Aymen Hussein completed an unusual double — scoring Iraq's goal at 39 and his own net at 90+4. 5

Lamine Yamal scored in the 10th minute — his first World Cup goal, and the most anticipated single moment in Spain's build-up to the tournament. The 17-year-old Barcelona winger had been playing through a hamstring tear that he suffered on April 22; the recovery timeline was, in his own words, compressed by obsessive gym work before he was even allowed to put weight on his leg. 6 He played 45 minutes as planned before being substituted. Coach Luis de la Fuente said afterwards that Yamal is now "in perfect condition to take on full matches." 6

Mikel Oyarzabal added a brace in the first half, a Saudi own goal and a Ferran Torres strike completed the 4-0. 7 Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their opener — this result erased any doubt. The group is theirs to lose.

Germany were losing at half-time: Franck Kessié had given Ivory Coast the lead at 30 minutes, and Germany's first half was flat. Then Julian Nagelsmann sent on Deniz Undav at 60 minutes. 8 Undav equalized at 68 and scored an added-time winner at 90+4 — five goal contributions (3 goals, 2 assists) in just 56 minutes across the tournament, more than any other player at the 2026 World Cup to this point. 9 Germany are through to the knockout stage, the first time since 2014 they've won their group outright.

Nico Schlotterbeck was substituted at half-time with suspected medial ligament damage in his left ankle. Nagelsmann said: "It's not looking good." 10 Schlotterbeck had a €60m release clause at Borussia Dortmund and was reportedly on Real Madrid's radar. Any summer move is now complicated.

Brian Brobbey started ahead of Crysencio Summerville — the man who scored in the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan — and answered the selection debate in 17 minutes with two goals. Cody Gakpo added a brace either side of the hour mark; Summerville came on to score the fifth at 89. 11 Anthony Elanga (59') gave Sweden a moment, but the 68,777 inside NRG Stadium saw a team that looked like Group F was already settled.

After two rounds, The Athletic ranked France 1st, Germany 3rd, England 4th, Spain 5th, and the Netherlands 6th among the 48 World Cup teams. Portugal, despite being a pre-tournament co-favourite, dropped to 12th. 19

José Mourinho confirmed as manager on June 11 on a three-year contract until 2029. Three signings already. 20

Ibrahima Konaté (27, centre-back) — free transfer from Liverpool, four-year deal, confirmed June 19. In five seasons at Anfield he played 183 games. William Gallas described him as "the best defender in the Premier League" in late 2024. 21 22

Bernardo Silva (31, midfielder) — free transfer from Manchester City, two-year deal, confirmed June 17. Silva turned down Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. Nine years at City: 460 appearances, 76 goals, 17 trophies. 23

Denzel Dumfries (30, right-back) — €20m release clause from Inter Milan, announcement expected shortly per ESPN. 24 Marc Cucurella (confirmed last week, £51.8m from Chelsea) is already in the squad for Spain's World Cup games.

ESPN's Alex Kirkland noted that Mourinho has transfer authority no previous Madrid manager has held. The average age of this summer's signings (28 years, 9 months) compares to last summer's (21 years, 6 months) — the rebuild is deliberately experience-first, trophy-first. 24

On the Olise front: Real Madrid issued a formal statement on June 21 denying they had contacted Michael Olise or his agents. 25 The denial, as Football España noted, was carefully worded — it rejected "contact" (a legal term, relevant to tapping-up rules) rather than "interest." Bayern chairman Herbert Hainer told Bild: "He is a player for FC Bayern Munich who still has a long contract — and we are not a selling club." Director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added: "He can cast five eyes on Olise, he won't get him." 25

Jérémy Jacquet (midfielder, from Rennes, ~£55m) and Víctor Muñoz (22, winger, from Osasuna, £34.5m) both confirmed. 26 The Muñoz deal came with a late twist: Newcastle had agreed a £33.3m fee, completed personal terms, and scheduled a medical before Liverpool triggered the higher release clause in the final 24 hours. Sky Sports' Keith Downie said Newcastle are "furious" and investigating. 26

Liverpool's £86m bid for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomandé (19) was rejected; Leipzig want more, and PSG are also interested. 26

Piero Hincapié (24, Ecuador) — Arsenal activated his £45m buyout clause from Bayer Leverkusen on June 17, converting last season's loan into a permanent five-year deal. The registration is delayed until after June 30 for accounting reasons, similar to how David Raya's deal was structured in 2023. 27 Arteta on Hincapié: "He's a warrior. He will play through brick walls for you." 27

Éderson (26, Atalanta) confirmed the move himself after Brazil were eliminated, saying the transfer was "practically all sorted." 28 The agreed fee is €40.5m plus up to €4.5m in add-ons (about £39m total), with a contract to 2030 plus a one-year option. No official Manchester United announcement yet — the club is waiting for Éderson to travel to Manchester after the World Cup. 28

Rasmus Højlund officially moved to Napoli for £38–43m (figures vary by source). 29 30

Enzo Maresca at Manchester City: Chelsea allege City made an illegal approach while Maresca was still under contract at Stamford Bridge. A settlement of more than $13m (£10m) is reported to be close, after which the appointment would be formally confirmed. 31

Three defenders in: Andy Robertson (free from Liverpool, eight years and 300+ appearances at Anfield concluded), Marcos Senesi (free from Bournemouth), Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m from Brighton). 29 30

Anthony Gordon (25, England) — £69.3m from Newcastle, five-year contract, confirmed last month but officially in place for this window. Gordon spoke Spanish at his presentation: "As soon as I knew Barça was a serious option, there was never any question." He scored 10 Champions League goals in 2025-26, second only to Mbappé and Kane. 32

The Almirón red card: Paraguay's Miguel Almirón — the Newcastle midfielder — became the first player in World Cup history to be sent off under the new IFAB rule banning mouth-covering during confrontations. 33 VAR confirmed the incident: Almirón covered his mouth while speaking to Turkey's Mert Müldür in the 45+3rd minute, and referee Iván Barton issued a straight red. Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine summed up the consensus: "If you're saying something to someone that you don't want to be seen, I think it's safe to say it shouldn't be said." 34 Almirón missed Paraguay's next match suspended; Turkey lost and were eliminated anyway.

Cape Verde: In a 48-team World Cup with 104 scheduled group-stage games, the best story in the first two rounds has been a country of 600,000 people that qualified for the first time. Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Spain (then drew 2-2 with Uruguay), earning two points against former world champions in consecutive games. Kevin Pina scored their first-ever World Cup goal at 21 minutes against Uruguay; Hélio Varela won the ball from Uruguay's defence and rounded the goalkeeper to equalise at 61. 35 A win over Saudi Arabia in their final group game would send them through.

Hydration breaks: BBC Sport reported that Fox Sports generates approximately $250m from advertising during the mandatory water breaks — more than half the $485m Fox paid FIFA for US broadcast rights. 36 Mbappé on being asked for his opinion: "Don't ask us players for our opinion, we're very reactionary." 37 The breaks are happening in air-conditioned stadiums too, which is the harder figure to defend.