Kylian Mbappé turned a storm-hit World Cup night into another statement performance, scoring twice as France beat Iraq in Philadelphia after a weather delay that kept players off the field for more than two hours.
The match began with France on top. Mbappé opened the scoring with a sharp first-half strike, taking him to 15 career World Cup goals and placing him alongside a small group of players to reach that mark: Lionel Messi, Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo.
The pressure was still on after the delay. Iraq had kept the score close before the stoppage, but France came back sharper and punished another mistake from the back line.
Mbappé’s second goal came after Iraq again ran into trouble trying to play out from defense. Goalkeeper Ahmed Basil Fadhil passed to Zaid Tahseen, whose poor return ball left France with the chance to make it 2-0. The result changes the picture for Iraq, which has now lost its first two games of the tournament.
France did not need Mbappé alone. Ousmane Dembélé scored his first World Cup goal to make it 3-0, while Michael Olise continued his run of production for the national team after entering the tournament in strong form.
The sports world is watching what happens next in the race for World Cup scoring history. Messi had moved to 18 career goals earlier in the day, but Mbappé, still 27, is now on 16 and closing fast.
For Iraq, the frustration is familiar. A similar mistake against Norway had already led to a goal, and against France, the same risk left the team with almost no way back.
