India, July 5 -- The 2026 World Cup has already given Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe two very different kinds of knockout nights. Messi's Argentina survived Cape Verde, but only just. Mbappe's France beat Paraguay, but only after being forced into a game that looked nothing like the smooth, high-speed football usually associated with them. The result, in both cases, was revealing. The two great match-winners still found their moments, but their opponents showed that even genius can be narrowed, delayed and dragged into discomfort.

Against Cape Verde, Messi scored his record-extending 20th World Cup goal, yet Argentina were pushed into extra time by a side playing their first tournament. Cape Verde equalised twice and forced the defending...