Kylian Mbappe kept pace with Lionel Messi in the race for all-time World Cup goals, scoring twice as France overcame a two-hour storm delay to beat Iraq 3-0 in Philadelphia. The match finished almost four hours after kick-off after heavy rain and lightning sent fans scrambling for cover.
The heavens opened eight minutes before the interval, yet the first half was completed. But the restart was delayed for two and a quarter hours due to lightning strikes in the area. Ground staff at Lincoln Financial Field worked tirelessly to clear excess water from the pitch, which briefly resembled a cricket ground at Edgbaston or Headingley. The much-maligned hydration break was scrapped for the second half because the pitch was already soaked.
“Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France beat Iraq 3-0 despite a two-hour storm delay in Philadelphia.”
When play finally resumed, Mbappe had already opened the scoring in stunning fashion after 14 minutes. He received the ball on the edge of the area from Michael Olise and thumped a rocket past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil into the top corner. Basil got his outstretched right hand to it but was powerless to stop the thunderous strike.
The Real Madrid star's second came from a calamitous Iraqi error. Defender Zaid Tahseen played a short goal kick to Basil, who miscontrolled. The ball fell to Ousmane Dembele, who squared it to Mbappe for the simplest of finishes into an empty net. It was eerily similar to an error in Iraq's first game against Norway, which allowed Erling Haaland to profit. 'The footballing minnows are learning the hard way at the top level,' noted one report.
Olise thought he had made it 3-0 shortly afterwards, but his curling effort cannoned off the crossbar. Adrien Rabiot then somehow headed wide from four yards. Dembele finally got his goal—his first in 19 major tournament appearances—when Olise played him through with a delicious outside-of-the-boot pass. The PSG star finished emphatically.
Mbappe's double moved him to 16 World Cup goals, two behind Messi. Earlier, the Argentina icon had scored a brace to break Miroslav Klose's all-time record in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria. The race for the record is now firmly on.