France has smashed Iraq 3-0 to book their spot in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage. Kylian Mbappe was the star, scoring two goals, while Ousmane Dembélé added the third. This victory ensures France's entry into the next round of the tournament.
Philadelphia: France is on a roll at the FIFA World Cup 2026. They just beat Iraq by a solid 3-0 in a one-sided match. Kylian Mbappe was on fire, scoring a double, while Ousmane Dembélé also got his name on the scoresheet, giving France an easy win. With these goals, Mbappe has now scored 16 in World Cups. He's now level with German legend Miroslav Klose and needs just two more goals to match Lionel Messi's all-time record.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the first half, thanks to an assist from Michael Olise. He then found the net again in the second half. Olise provided another assist, this time for Ousmane Dembélé, who scored the third goal to seal the deal for France. The match had a long delay at halftime. Heavy rain and lightning stopped the game for almost two hours. France was already leading 1-0 when the game was paused. After the rain delay, they came back and continued to dominate the match.
During the break, fans were asked to move to safer areas as a precaution. According to the weather rules in the US, a match has to be stopped immediately if there's lightning within an 8-mile radius of the stadium. Fans have to move to sheltered spots, while players and officials go back to their dressing rooms.
The game can only restart after 30 minutes have passed without any lightning since the last strike. If another lightning strike happens, the 30-minute countdown starts all over again. It's important to note that this safety protocol belongs to the US, not FIFA. So, FIFA has no power to interfere with or overrule these decisions.
Not a New Thing
Weather delays are actually quite common for football matches in the US. Last year, during the Club World Cup, six matches were delayed for a total of eight and a half hours. One match between Chelsea and Dortmund was held up for more than four hours.
