France made it six points from six in Group I in a disrupted World Cup clash that saw a two-hour storm delay, a stubborn Iraq side and a heavily waterlogged pitch all conspiring to make life considerably more difficult than Didier Deschamps would have wanted.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup tally of 16 goals, before Ousmane Dembele finally broke his major tournament duck on his 20th appearance at that level to seal it.
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Mbappe stunner breaks the deadlock before storm halts play
France dominated early possession and took the lead on 14 minutes through sheer individual brilliance. Michael Olise, quietly building a remarkable record of five goal involvements in his last three international appearances, fed Mbappe on the right, and the Real Madrid striker struck a vicious left-footed drive that flew past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
A stunning goal and his 15th at the World Cup, making him only the fourth player in history to reach that landmark after Messi, Klose and Ronaldo.
Iraq refused to crumble. Ali Al Hamadi, introduced early after Ayman Hussein limped off with a groin problem, offered a genuine focal point up front and headed narrowly wide from a tempting Doski cross in the 28th minute.
Then the heavens opened. Thunder, lightning and driving rain forced both sets of players from the field at half-time, with fans ushered inside for shelter as groundstaff battled to drain a pitch that was quickly becoming unplayable.
After a delay of nearly two hours, the game resumed with a heavily saturated surface that made fluid football much more difficult.
Iraq errors gift France two goals after the restart
Iraq started the second half brightly on a pitch that suited the underdog, winning midfield battles and beginning to find ways through the French press. But two costly individual errors ended the contest as a contest within the space of twelve minutes.
On 54 minutes, a short goal-kick was played straight to the feet of a French player high up the pitch. Dembele recovered it and unselfishly squared for Mbappe to tap into an empty net from close range.
Twelve minutes later, Dembele got his own reward. Olise slid the winger clean through on the right and he drove a powerful low finish across Basil and into the bottom-left corner – his first ever goal at a World Cup or European Championship after 20 appearances at major tournaments.
France cruise to the finish line
With the tie settled, Deschamps made wholesale changes, Cherki, Doue, Gusto and Akliouche all getting their first taste of World Cup football, as France eased through the closing stages. Iraq continued to press forward, and Al Hamadi came agonisingly close to a consolation in the 76th minute, poking wide from close range with Maignan stranded.
Mbappe had one more moment of note, blazing over from close range in the 90th minute when clean through, before being withdrawn to a warm reception with the job done.
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