Mbappé double fires France into last 16 after Philadelphia storm delays Iraq clash
Kylian Mbappé celebrated his 100th international cap with two goals as France defeated Iraq 3-0 in a World Cup group game interrupted for more than two hours by thunderstorms in Philadelphia.
Mbappé’s milestone night
Kylian Mbappé reached 16 World Cup goals on the night of his 100th France appearance, moving level with Miroslav Klose in the all-time rankings. The forward struck first in the 14th minute, driving a left-footed shot into the top corner from outside the box after Michael Olise’s pass. He doubled his tally early in the second half when a mix-up between Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil and defender Zaid Tahseen allowed him to tap into an empty net. The double moves Mbappé to within two goals of Lionel Messi, the competition’s all-time top scorer with 18.
Storm turns match into marathon
Lightning and torrential rain forced the players off the pitch at half-time, with the French leading 1-0. Officials suspended play for more than two hours under safety protocols that require a 30-minute stoppage for every electrical strike within a 13-kilometre radius. The players finally resumed at 2 a.m. local time, after a long re-warm-up in heavy rain, and pushed the total match duration past three and a half hours.
As soon as we played with pace and used the width, we put them in difficulty. However, too many rotations crowded the middle.
Dembélé opens World Cup account
Ousmane Dembélé scored his first World Cup goal to seal the result in the 66th minute. Olise supplied a cutback from the right and the Paris Saint-Germain forward turned and struck a low shot across Basil. The goal was Dembélé’s eighth for France, but his first on football’s biggest stage.
- Mbappé opens the scoring with a left-footed strike from distance (1-0)
- Half-time – match suspended due to lightning and heavy rain
- Play resumes after a delay of more than two hours
- Mbappé scores his second after a defensive error (2-0)
- Dembélé fires in his first World Cup goal to make it 3-0
France cruise into last 16
Two wins from two matches in Group I give France a perfect six points and an early ticket to the knockout phase. They earlier beat Senegal 3-1 and will face Norway in their final pool fixture on Friday 26 June. Iraq, ranked 57th by FIFA and making only their second World Cup appearance, remain without a point after a 4-1 opening loss to Norway.
