(Mbappe celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the 2026 World Cup. Photo by Punch News)
Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th international appearance with a brace as France cruised to a 3-0 victory over Iraq on Monday, in a World Cup Group I clash that was delayed by more than two hours due to a severe storm in Philadelphia.
The Real Madrid captain opened the scoring in the 14th minute, controlling a pass before firing a shot from 20 metres that proved too powerful for Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
He added his second nine minutes into the second half, capitalising on a calamitous goal-kick by defender Zaid Tahseen that fell into the path of Ousmane Dembele, who teed up Mbappe for a simple finish.
Dembele, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, then rounded off the scoring in the 66th minute after being set up by Michael Olise, who had earlier struck the bar with a delicate chip.
The win moves France through to the last 32 after back-to-back victories in Group I, with their next assignment a meeting with Erling Haaland’s Norway in Boston on Friday.
Mbappe’s double took his World Cup tally to 16 goals in just 16 tournament appearances, drawing him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose on the all-time list and surpassing the 15 goals of Brazilian Ronaldo.
He now trails only Lionel Messi, who set a new record of 18 World Cup goals by netting twice for Argentina against Austria earlier on Monday, setting up what promises to be a compelling personal duel at this tournament.
The 27-year-old also extended his record as France’s all-time leading scorer to 60 goals in a century of caps, having overtaken Olivier Giroud’s previous best of 57 with his goals against Senegal last Tuesday.
The match at the 68,324-capacity Lincoln Financial Field, which kicked off at 5:00 pm local time, had to be suspended at half-time as a powerful storm swept over the city.
Torrential rain had begun to fall late in the first half, and supporters were directed to evacuate open seating areas and seek shelter in covered sections of the largely uncovered stadium.
The second half eventually resumed more than two hours behind schedule, marking the first weather-related stoppage at this World Cup, where strict protocols require a match to be halted whenever a storm is detected in the vicinity.
Iraq, managed by Graham Arnold, were also dealt a blow when captain and striker Aymen Hussein was forced off through injury with just 26 minutes played.
The Asian side now face the prospect of early elimination after their defeat compounded a 4-1 opening loss to Norway, leaving them with five defeats from five games across two World Cup appearances separated by 40 years.