Kylian Mbappé was seen helping grounds staff clear water from the pitch at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field after France’s World Cup game against Iraq was suspended for two hours due to rainstorms.
Kylian Mbappé points out areas of the pitch that were flooded during France’s win over Iraq after a two-hour delay. (Image: (Photo by Johnny Fidelin/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
Kylian Mbappé endured more than two hours sheltering from a thunderstorm in Philadelphia on Monday night. When he finally got the chance to get back on the pitch, he didn’t hang around helping the grounds staff clear the pitch.
He left early and helped ground crews identify flooded areas. Footage of the round posted on social media showed the France captain and Real Madrid forward surveying surfaces at Lincoln Financial Field (known as Philadelphia Stadium during the World Cup) during the half-time break, highlighting areas of water that had collected to be wrung out and dried before play resumed.
It wasn’t what anyone expected from a man who had just scored his 15th World Cup goal in his 100th international game.
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The interruption, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes after the halftime whistle, was caused by a thunderstorm that hit the Philadelphia area as France and Iraq headed to the locker rooms with a 1-0 scoreline.
According to guidelines adopted by FIFA and recommended by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, play must be stopped if lightning is detected within eight miles of the venue, the countdown restarts with each new lightning detection, and play cannot resume until a full 30 minutes have passed without another lightning strike.
The delay extended another 15 minutes beyond originally expected as several rainstorms moved through the area, with both teams eventually returning to the pitch just before 8pm local time. Ground staff spent much of that period preparing the ground for play.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice against Iraq to keep pace with Lionel Messi in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot. (Image: (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images))
Heavy rain began to fall from around the 37th minute of the first half, and by the time the referee called half-time, the pitch was flooded with water.
When the match finally resumed, Mbappé continued in exactly the same vein.
France remained unresponsive and scored two more goals in the second half, with Mbappé scoring his fourth goal of the tournament (easily scored after Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Bashir lost control of an overhit pass) before Ousmane Dembele scored his third to seal the match with a 3-0 victory.
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France have secured a place in the knockout stages and will face Norway in the group stage to decide the winner of Group I.
The match went on to become the first World Cup match to be canceled due to weather, highlighting the tournament’s vulnerability to the summer weather at the American venue.
FIFA has faced widespread criticism in the past for continuing matches in extreme weather conditions, particularly the 2014 match between the United States and Germany in Brazil, which was played amid heavy flooding.
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