Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th cap by scoring two more World Cup goals as France eased to a 3-0 win over Iraq. The game, delayed by two hours due to severe storm conditions, saw Mbappe open the scoring in the 14th minute and add another just before halftime. Ousmane Dembele scored the other goal for the tournament favorites.
Mbappe moved to 16 World Cup goals in his career, two behind Lionel Messi’s record of 18 set by netting twice against Austria earlier on Monday. The match at Lincoln Financial Field kicked off at 5:00 pm local time but was halted at halftime due to torrential rain and a storm passing over Philadelphia.
The second half eventually got underway more than two hours late, marking the first World Cup match in this tournament held up by bad weather. Mbappe’s brace followed his two goals in France’s opening win against Senegal, with Real Madrid star now having 60 career goals for France and 16 at the World Cup.
Mbappe is level on the all-time list of World Cup goals with Germany’s Miroslav Klose but has overtaken Brazil’s Ronaldo. He seems set for a shoot-out showdown with Messi in this year’s tournament. France, unbeaten after two games in Group I, will face Norway in Boston on Friday, while Iraq faces early elimination following their losses to Norway and the opening game.