Mbappe keeps Messi on his toes as France crush Iraq in weather-hit World Cup clash

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France beat Iraq 3-0 in a World Cup match interrupted by severe weather. The win sent France into the Round of 32 and kept Mbappe within two World Cup goals of Lionel Messi.

In Short

• Play was suspended for two hours and 21 minutes after thunderstorm warnings
• Mbappe took his tally to 16 in World Cups
• France reached the Round of 32 with the win

On a day when Lionel Messi wrote his name into World Cup history books, Kylian Mbappe showed why he is the biggest contender to the Argentine maestro's throne this year. While Messi became the World Cup's highest goalscorer, Mbappe grabbed a brace to help France beat Iraq 3-0 in a game that was affected by adverse weather conditions.

FIFA WORLD CUP, FRANCE VS IRAQ: HIGHLIGHTS

The 2022 finalists made it to the Round of 32 with the win, as Mbappe took his overall tally in the World Cup to 16 and just two behind Messi. The game was halted for two hours and 21 minutes after a thunderstorm alert saw the players and the crowd take shelter with rain belting down at the Lincoln Financial Field on Monday.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute and then added another in the second half before Ousmane Dembele wrapped things up with a fine strike in the 66th minute.

WEATHER TAKES CENTRE STAGE

It's not often you see football affected by weather conditions. It is seen in cricket and other sports where you see a match being halted for a long period of time and even get abandoned. For the match on Monday, the warning was already sent that a storm was brewing and could hit the stadium at any point during the match.

The fans were denied entry into the stadium for a long period before the match. But once the weather cleared for the start, everyone expected a storm to happen on the field. France and Iraq made three changes each to their team.

While France looked more energetic with the new team lineup, Iraq struggled early on. France had a fast start and Manu Kone's deflected shot almost found Mbappe in the second minute. While Iraq kept France at bay, Mbappe decided to change things up.

Just like in the win against Senegal, the French captain conjured up a moment of magic and unleashed a sensational shot from outside the box, which flew past the Iraqi goalkeeper. That got him level with the great Ronaldo Nazario.

Iraq suffered an early blow as they lost their star striker Aymen Hussein, but they remained resolute in defence. There was wave after wave of French attacks, but the defenders were up to the task for the Asian side.

This is when, slowly, the heavens opened up and it started to pour down in Philadelphia. Mbappe continued to push for another one to put France in command, but that was denied and we went into half-time.

Just after this, the speakers inside the stadium started to tell the fans to run for shelter as a thunderstorm alert was issued. The wait was supposed to be for half an hour and not more than that. But the rain refused to stop as everyone was left wondering what would happen next.

A delay or even postponing the match was something FIFA couldn't afford due to the packed schedule. The Club World Cup last year saw Chelsea vs Dortmund get halted for four and a half hours. That was certainly something fans weren't looking forward to.

FRANCE TURN THE HEAT ON ERROR-PRONE IRAQ

One of the things that you cannot afford to do is lose concentration after a lengthy break. France came out with new vigour and having kicked into a higher gear, while Iraq looked sluggish and out of ideas. The hydration break being taken out meant that both teams needed to maintain momentum throughout the half.

Iraq brought in Ahmed Basil as their goalkeeper after Jalal Hassan's blunder in the Norway game cost them the match. So the brief to Basil was simple. Just no mistakes.

But it seemed like the Iraqi goalkeeper forgot this during the rain break and he gifted France their second goal in the 54th minute. Ahmed Qasem's backpass had far too much on it, leaving Ahmed Basil in trouble. Ousmane Dembele got hold of the ball, kept his cool and squared it to Mbappe, who got his fourth goal of the tournament.

From here on, Iraq were chasing shadows as Michael Olise came close to making it 3-0 just four minutes later.

A lot of talk was about Dembele and his form in the tournament and if he deserved a spot in the team. The PSG man was setup by Olise and he sent it past Basil to seal the game for France.

Iraq's only big chance came in the 78th minute, but by then, Didier Deschamps decided to shuffle his pack and give everyone a taste of the action. Mbappe had a chance to get his hat-trick late on, but failed to capitalise on it.

In the end, France moved on to their next test, the match of Group I against Norway on June 26. Iraq will fight for pride against Senegal on the same day.

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