Who Gets to Advance
Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Ousmane Dembélé also scored as France beat Iraq 3-0 on Monday to advance to the World Cup knockout stage. The match was delayed for just over two hours because of heavy rain and an incoming thunderstorm, the tournament’s first rain delay, before the spectacle resumed at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in front of a sellout crowd of 68,234.
Mbappé scored in the 14th and 54th minutes, giving France a 1-0 halftime lead and moving him into a tie for second on the World Cup goals list with 16. The scoreboard and the crowd were part of the same machine: fans wore Mbappé jerseys, stayed through the rain, and were told to take shelter in the stadium’s covered areas as a severe storm approached. Sheets of rain continued through halftime, while fans huddled in the concourse and under balconies. Some France fans stayed in the last few covered rows and waved the country’s flag, while others left for the exits.
What the Crowd Was Told
The stadium’s messages directed the crowd to take shelter, and Iraq coach Graham Arnold wrestled with a poncho before returning to the covered dugout. The game kept moving through the weather, through the delays, and through the discomfort of the people packed into the stands, while the tournament’s schedule and spectacle remained intact.
Mbappé said, “I’m only thinking about helping my team. By helping my team, I score goals, and when you score goals, of course, you get closer to that kind of level.” He also said, “It was very difficult, because we had to stay focused, we had to stay engaged in the locker room.” After the match, he said, “We’re going to try to analyze it in the coming days, see what we can improve, because I think there are two or three things we could have avoided.” France coach Didier Deschamps said, “He can take Messi, he can take Ronaldo. He does have the capacity to up his ante.”
How the Goals Fell
Mbappé’s first goal came with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box that beat Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, who got his first start in the tournament after captain Jalal Hassan allowed all four goals in Iraq’s 4-1 loss to Norway. For Mbappé’s second goal, Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen made a poor pass to the goalkeeper, Dembélé controlled the loose ball and passed to Mbappé, who tapped it in with his right foot. Mbappé had a chance for a hat trick on a late breakaway but missed before he was substituted at the 90-minute mark.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé also scored for Les Bleus. Mbappé, 27, was playing in his third World Cup. He matched Miroslav Klose of Germany on the goals list and moved one ahead of Brazil great Ronaldo. Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina earlier Monday to set the tournament record at 18, after equaling Klose with his first World Cup hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria last Tuesday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
France helped win the World Cup in 2018 and reach the final in 2022, when Mbappé was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player. Joined up front by Désiré Doué and Dembélé, France entered this year’s tournament as a co-favorite with Spain.
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was substituted out with an apparent injury in the 26th minute and replaced by Ali Al-Hamadi. Hussein scored his 34th international goal in Iraq’s World Cup opener. Iraq is playing in the World Cup for just the second time after debuting in 1986. France could return to Philadelphia to play Germany on July 4.