Mbappe scores twice as France beat Iraq after lengthy storm delay

PHILADELPHIA: Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th appearance for France by scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Iraq at the World Cup on Monday, in a match whose second half was delayed by more than two hours because of severe weather.

Mbappe put France ahead in the 14th minute and struck again nine minutes into the second half, while Ousmane Dembele added the third in Philadelphia as the tournament favourites made it two wins from two in Group I. The France captain has now scored 16 goals in 16 World Cup matches and has taken his overall international tally to 60 goals in 100 appearances.

The game kicked off at 5:00 pm local time (2100 GMT), but heavy rain arrived late in the first half before a major storm moved over the city at the interval. Supporters were instructed at half-time to leave the open seating areas and take shelter in covered parts of Lincoln Financial Field, where most of the 68,324-capacity stadium is uncovered. The second half eventually resumed after a delay of more than two hours, the first weather-related stoppage at this World Cup under US storm safety protocols.

Mbappe reaches another landmark

Mbappe opened the scoring before the quarter-hour when he brought down a pass with his right foot and fired from 20 metres beyond Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. The two-goal display followed another brace in France’s opening 3-1 victory over Senegal last Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward had already become France’s all-time leading scorer against Senegal, moving past Olivier Giroud’s previous mark of 57 goals. His latest double left him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals, having also gone past the 15 managed by Brazil’s Ronaldo. He is now two behind Lionel Messi, who reached a new record of 18 World Cup goals after scoring twice for Argentina against Austria earlier on Monday.

Storm halts play before France pull clear

Iraq suffered an early setback when captain and striker Aymen Hussein went off after 26 minutes. After the long interruption, France quickly extended their lead on 54 minutes following an error involving Zaid Tahseen and Basil. Tahseen’s attempted pass back from a goal-kick was misplaced, allowing Dembele to set up Mbappe for a simple finish.

Michael Olise later struck the bar with a chipped effort before setting up Dembele, who made it 3-0 on 66 minutes. France had made three changes from the side that beat Senegal, with Bradley Barcola coming in for Desire Doue on the left, Manu Kone replacing Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, and Lucas Digne preferred to Theo Hernandez at left-back.

France through, Iraq in danger

The result means the 2022 runners-up are already certain of a place in the last 32 with two victories from two matches. France’s next game is against Erling Haaland’s Norway in Boston on Friday.

Iraq, coached by Graham Arnold, are now at risk of an early exit after following a 4-1 defeat to Norway in their opening game with another loss. They have now been beaten in all five of their matches across two World Cup appearances, separated by 40 years.