Kylian Mbappé marked his 100th international appearance with two goals as France beat Iraq 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and advanced to the World Cup knockout stage.
Mbappé scored in the 14th and 54th minutes, moving level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals and one ahead of Brazil great Ronaldo. Lionel Messi set the tournament record at 18 earlier with Argentina.
Mbappé Moves Level With Klose
The 27-year-old put France ahead before halftime with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box that beat Ahmed Basil, who made his first start of the tournament after Jalal Hassan conceded all 4 goals in Iraq’s 4-1 loss to Norway.
Mbappé added his second after Zaid Tahseen’s poor pass toward the goalkeeper. Ousmane Dembélé collected the loose ball and set up Mbappé for a right-footed finish. Mbappé later missed a breakaway chance for a hat trick before coming off at the 90-minute mark.
“I’m only thinking about helping my team,” Mbappé said. “By helping my team, I score goals, and when you score goals, of course, you get closer to that kind of level.”
Rain Delay Interrupts France Win
Heavy rain and lightning delayed the match after France had taken a 1-0 halftime lead. Grounds crews worked squeegees across the Kentucky bluegrass surface, while scoreboard messages sent fans toward covered areas as the storm moved through.
The announced sellout crowd was 68,234. Some fans stayed in the covered upper rows waving France flags, others waited in concourses in ponchos, and some left as the delay continued. The same stadium, home of the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, had a 65-minute lightning delay during an Eagles opener last season.
“It was very difficult, because we had to stay focused, we had to stay engaged in the locker room,” Mbappé said. There was no second-half hydration break after the long weather pause.
Dembélé Scores As France Advance
Ballon d’Or winner Dembélé also scored for Les Bleus, who started Mbappé up front with Désiré Doué and Dembélé. France entered the tournament as a co-favorite with Spain.
France coach Didier Deschamps backed Mbappé’s pursuit of the World Cup scoring record. “He can take Messi, he can take Ronaldo,” Deschamps said. “He does have the capacity to up his ante.”
Mbappé helped France win the World Cup in 2018 and reach the final in 2022, when he received the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player. France could return to Philadelphia to face Germany on July 4.
Iraq lost striker Aymen Hussein to an apparent injury in the 26th minute, with Ali Al-Hamadi replacing him. Hussein scored his 34th international goal in Iraq’s World Cup opener, and Iraq is playing in the tournament for just the second time after debuting in 1986.