France convincingly defeated Iraq 3-0 in the second match for the two teams from Group "I" of the 2026 World Cup.
Thus, the "Roosters" qualified for the elimination round of the World Cup. The match was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for the "Roosters" in the 14th minute, and he scored again in the 54th minute, thus now having four goals in the current world finals and a total of 16 in the biggest football forum.
In this way, the Real Madrid star tied Miroslav Klose in goals in the World Cup and is only behind Lionel Messi, who only hours earlier broke the German's record and now has 18 goals. Ousmane Dembele also scored in the 66th minute.
The match was played at "Lincoln Financial Field" in Philadelphia. Due to the severe thunderstorm over the city and the safety protocols that FIFA follows in such weather conditions, the start of the second half was delayed for an unprecedentedly long time - almost two hours, and resumed only at 03:00 Bulgarian time.
Strict safety rules are in force at the matches of the tournament held in the United States. If lightning is registered within a radius of 13 kilometers from the stadium, the match is immediately stopped and the players head to the locker rooms. Then a 30-minute countdown begins, which is restarted with each new lightning strike.
France has six points after two matches and leads Group I. Iraq is fourth without a point. Their group stage opponents, Norway and Senegal, are playing with a score of 1-0 for the Scandinavians at the break.
In the final group stage match, France will play Norway on June 26, while Iraq will face Senegal on the same day. Both matches will start at 22:00 Bulgarian time.
The World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament, which will feature 48 teams for the first time, will end on July 19. Argentina is the current world champion.