A double from Kylian Mbappe helped France seal a 3-0 win over A-Leagues legend Graham Arnold’s Iraq, in a game that was delayed by two hours due to thunderstorms in Philadelphia.
The heavy favourites coming into the game, France wasted little time in taking the lead in Philadelphia as Mbappe lashed home a stunning left-footed strike from distance that flew past Iraq keeper Ahmed Fadhil to make it 1-0.
Didier Deschamps’ side dominated the first half and were sitting comfortably, even if they only had one goal to show for their dominance, but both teams were soon confined to the dressing rooms for much longer than 15 minutes at half time.
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With news of a severe storm fast approaching the ground, lightning strikes in the area meant the game was pushed back until the storm cleared, with the game eventually re-starting two hours later.
When it did restart, it was business as usual for France who quickly made it 2-0 in the 54th minute as Mbappe converted from close range after a shocking mix-up between the Iraqi defence and goalkeeper saw Dembele pounce on a loose ball before squaring for his teammate.
The influential Michael Olise came close to making it 3-0 shortly after with a majestic clipped effort from the edge of the box that bounced back off the bar, but France did get their third and Olise was the architect; feeding Ousmane Dembele inside the box to fire past Fadhil to wrap things up.
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Mbappe had a late chance to seal his hat-trick and move level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi as the all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cups but blazed over the bar from a tight angle.
Iraq currently sit bottom of Group I having lost to both Norway and France, conceding seven goals in the process.
They face Senegal in their final group stage match on June 27.
