France beat Iraq after two-hour lightning delay as Mbappe keeps pace with Messi

Lightning flashed across the Philadelphia sky as the half-time whistle blew at Lincoln Financial Field, forcing France and Iraq’s World Cup clash into an abrupt halt. Players were ordered off the pitch under FIFA’s strict weather protocols, with play not allowed to resume until at least 15 minutes after the last visible flash. The delay stretched to two hours after a severe thunderstorm warning — including damaging winds, intense lightning and a risk of isolated tornadoes — swept across the area. Once play finally resumed, the second-half hydration break was cancelled to make up for lost time. France ran out 3-0 winners, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace to take his tournament tally to four goals. The result keeps the Real Madrid striker hot on the heels of Lionel Messi, who earlier broke the all-time World Cup scoring record by netting twice in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria. Messi missed a first-half penalty but atoned with a rocket into the far corner just before the interval, then added a second at the death to reach 17 career World Cup goals. The Inter Miami star now has five goals in this tournament, one more than Mbappe, as the golden boot race intensifies.