Carrying the hopes of his nation on his shoulders, Norway striker Erling Haaland announced his arrival at the World Cup in typically emphatic fashion, with two goals in a majestic ​display as his side hammered Iraq 4-1 on Tuesday.

The stars came out on day six of the World Cup as Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe helped themselves to seven goals. Mbappe, who scored 12 goals at the 2018 and 2022 finals, grabbed a brace as France opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal.

Iraq boss Graham Arnold refused to give up on reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup – despite seeing his side beaten 4-1 by Norway on their return to the tournament after 40 years. Playing their first match at a global finals since 1986,

Erling Haaland matched Kylian Mbappe's two-goal effort earlier in the day as Norway made a winning start to their World Cup bid against Iraq.

There are positives to take for Senegal -- they were not utterly outclassed -- but reasons for optimism ought to be tempered by some lingering concerns for head coach Pape Thiaw.