France 3-0 Iraq: Kylian Mbappé scores twice in a match that ended about four hours after the start due to heavy rain and storms in Philadelphia.
Mbappe scores 2 goals, taking his total to 16 points at the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Kylian Mbappé scored two goals to keep pace with Lionel Messi after France’s 3-0 win over Iraq was delayed for more than two hours due to rainstorms.
The Real Madrid superstar scored for either team in the extra half-time, taking his total to four in the competition and 16 in the World Cup, putting him two ahead of Messi.
Messi, the Argentina icon, had scored two goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria, taking him from Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.
However, due to extreme weather in Philadelphia, the game against France ended almost four hours after kicks began.
Eight minutes before half-time, heaven opened up and fans scrambled to find cover. We were able to finish the first half, but restarting was delayed due to a nearby lightning strike.
It took two hours and 50 minutes for the second half to begin, with the vast majority of spectators waiting patiently, having paid exorbitant amounts of money to watch Mbappe and others play.
Even the much-criticized hydration break was scrapped in the second half, as there was still plenty of water left on the pitch, given that US broadcasters had been airing heavy advertising for a long time.
Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field was similar to Edgbaston and Headingley, with grounds staff working tirelessly to remove excess water from the playing surface in preparation for the restart of play.
Mbappé scored the first goal in just 14 minutes. He received the ball from Michael Olise on the edge of the area and rocketed a shot past goalkeeper Ahmed Bashir and into the top corner.
Fans scramble to evacuate in Philadelphia (Image: Ayman Aref Mohamed Saad El Din/Nexpher via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Basil extended his right hand, but there was no power to stop the roar that pierced the back of the net.
The keeper was then involved in an embarrassing mix-up, allowing Mbappé to score the second goal. Defender Zaid Tahseen took a short goal kick to Basil, but Basil miscontrolled it.
The ball fell at the feet of Ousmane Dembele, who squared it to Mbappé, who had the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net.
It reminded me of a similar mistake in Iraq’s first match against Norway, which benefited Erling Haaland. The small fry in the soccer world are learning hard at the top level.
Water splashes off the pitch after heavy rain (Image: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Olise thought he had made it 3-0 immediately after receiving a feed from Mbappé, but his audacious curling shot hit the crossbar.
Then Adrien Rabiot somehow headed wide after Basil could only parry Dembele’s shot four yards out.
Olise played a great pass with his left foot from the outside of his boot and Dembele was the scorer. The PSG star scored his country’s astonishing first goal in 19 games in major tournaments.
As a result, France advanced to six points and secured a place in the last 32. Les Bleus will play Norway in their final group game on Friday.
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
