KYLIAN Mbappe edged closer to Lionel Messi's newly established FIFA World Cup scoring record after firing a brace in France's commanding 3-0 victory over Iraq, despite a match disrupted by an extended weather suspension.
The France captain netted either side of a near two-hour delay caused by severe thunderstorms on Monday, taking his overall World Cup tally to 16 goals and drawing level with former record-holder Miroslav Klose.
Earlier in the day, Messi raised the all-time benchmark to 18 World Cup goals after scoring twice in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria, leaving Mbappe just two goals behind the Argentine legend. The French forward's four goals at the 2026 tournament also move him to within one of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
France's convincing second successive victory leaves the two-time world champions on the verge of securing a place in the last 32. Their progression will be confirmed if Norway avoid defeat against Senegal in the other Group I fixture.
Ousmane Dembele also found the net after the restart as France dominated throughout, while Iraq remain without a point after two matches but retain a mathematical chance of progressing as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.
The result leaves Iraq requiring victory over Senegal in their final group match, alongside favourable results elsewhere, to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Their task could be further complicated by the loss of striker Aymen Hussein, who was forced off with an apparent injury in the 26th minute after scoring Iraq's only goal of the tournament in their opening match.
France established control from the outset and opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Michael Olise found Mbappe on the right flank. The forward shifted onto his left foot before unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area that beat goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
Any hope the lengthy weather interruption might help Iraq regroup quickly disappeared after the restart.
Following a costly mistake from an Iraqi goal kick, Dembele set up Mbappe for a simple finish to double France's advantage before adding the third himself 12 minutes later. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner collected another incisive pass from Olise inside the penalty area before calmly finishing beyond Basil.
Although the result was effectively settled before the interval, the contest became memorable for becoming the first match of the tournament to experience a prolonged weather suspension.
Storms intensified shortly after half-time, forcing spectators to leave their seats and seek shelter inside the stadium concourses.Players eventually returned to the pitch approximately one hour and 40 minutes later to resume their warm-ups, but the restart was delayed again as ground staff worked to
remove standing water from sections of the playing surface using large squeegees before play could safely continue. - June 23, 2026
