Lightning Delay Fails to Stop France as Mbappe Inspires Win Over Iraq
France overcame a lengthy weather delay to defeat Iraq 3-0 and strengthen their position at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday night.
The Group stage match was suspended for more than two hours due to lightning activity near the stadium. Play was stopped at the end of the first half at 5:49pm local time and eventually resumed at 8:00pm.
Despite the interruption, France remained in control and secured a comfortable victory through a brace from captain Kylian Mbappe and a goal from Ousmane Dembele.
Mbappe opened the scoring before the weather stoppage and added his second goal after play resumed. Dembele then wrapped up the win with his first-ever World Cup goal.
The result moved France onto six points from two matches and underlined their status as one of the favourites for the tournament.
Mbappe’s double was also a personal milestone. The 27-year-old now has 16 World Cup goals, leaving him just two short of the all-time record of 18 goals set earlier on Monday by Lionel Messi.
France dominated throughout the contest, registering 16 shots compared to Iraq’s two, while the Asian side failed to record a shot on target.
Mbappe came close to completing his hat-trick late in the game but fired over the bar after breaking clear of the Iraq defence.
The victory extends France’s impressive start to the tournament as Didier Deschamps’ side continue their quest for another World Cup title, while Iraq face a difficult challenge to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
