France vs Iraq: Mbappé brace books knockout ticket in 3-0 rout

22.06.26 FT World Cup

France

3

:

Iraq

0

Les Bleus booked their World Cup knockout ticket in Philadelphia overcoming extreme weather and a stubborn Iraqi defense with clinical finishing.

A storm on and off the pitch

The match in Pennsylvania will be remembered just as much for the skies above as the action on the grass. At halftime, officials activated FIFA’s severe weather protocols due to dangerous lightning strikes and heavy thunderstorms.

Fans and players were instructed to take cover indoors turning a standard 90 minute fixture into a nearly four-hour marathon before the second half could safely resume.

Before the heavens opened, France had already asserted their dominance. Facing a highly organized low block set up by Iraq manager Graham Arnold, the European giants relied on rapid wing play and precise passing to carve open spaces.

The talisman delivers again

Kylian Mbappe proved to be the ultimate difference-maker. The forward broke the deadlock in the 14th minute capitalizing on a wave of relentless early pressure.

When the match finally restarted following the massive delay, the break showed no signs of cooling his momentum. He doubled the advantage in the 54th minute taking his World Cup career tally to 16 goals and edging incredibly close to the tournament's all-time scoring records.

Dembele adds the final polish

Ousmane Dembele killed off any lingering Iraqi hopes in the 66th minute. Played through by a perfectly weighted pass from Michael Olise, Dembele unleashed a precise right-footed strike from inside the box burying the ball into the bottom left corner past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.

Despite the heavy deficit and an early yellow card for Amir Al-Ammari, Iraq attempted to strike on the counter. Ali Jasim’s pace and Zidane Iqbal’s vision created brief sparks but the central defensive partnership of Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba quickly neutralized isolated threats from Ali Al-Hamadi and substitute Rebin Sulaka.

With the result secured, France flexed their immense squad depth, comfortably rotating in Marcus Thuram, Desire Doue, and Rayan Cherki to see out the game.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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