Two first half goals from Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane and another in the second half by Bukayo Saka secured England’s spot in the quarterfinals.
This puts Messi one goal behind Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina’s highest World Cup scorer, and ahead of football legend Diego Maradona.
The four category event, with entries from 27 states, will throw up 48 medals for grabs.
The game would have been Russia’s first against a European side since being banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Coach Domo Okara says his players were in high spirits and ready for the match on Monday.
Inter’s 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzeň implies that Barcelona qualification hope is over even before playing their penultimate fixture of the group.
Benfica defeated Juventus 4-3, while PSG thrashed Maccabi Haifa 7:2 for both teams to book their spots in the round of 16.
Rivers United will lock horns with El Nasr Benghazi while Plateau United play Al Akhdar in two-legged fixtures.
More than a million people are expected to visit Qatar during the World Cup competition.
Efih had a stint in the Nigeria Women’s Football League with Edo Queens and Rivers United before moving abroad in 2019.
