France shines with a Mbappé brace in a rain‑soaked match

A severe storm forced a two-hour suspension of Monday’s match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia. Even the rain didn’t want to miss the French celebration, as Les Bleus secured a commanding 3–0 victory over the side coached by Australian Graham Arnold. The French wrapped up the game with a brace from star forward Kylian Mbappé, who is heating up the scoring race with Lionel Messi, and a goal from Ousmane Dembélé.

Messi has scored five goals, and Mbappé has four in the first two matches: both are competing to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, a record currently held by the Argentine forward.

Heavy rain and the threat of lightning competed for the spotlight with France’s stars. Weather is a factor in these latitudes. FIFA knew the risks but accepted the cost, even at the risk of detracting from a spectacle that still struggles to take root in the United States. It already happened last summer during the Club World Cup and was always likely to recur at the most widely attended international soccer tournament in history.

France, meanwhile, has such attacking talent that fans expect it to settle matches in the blink of an eye. But at this World Cup no team will make things easy — just ask Spain, which drew against Cape Verde. France played with greater depth than in their tournament opener against Senegal six days ago. The side showed more movement and demonstrated its firepower thanks to the changes Deschamps made to the starting lineup. Opposite them was Iraq, a team without a strong World Cup pedigree, which fell apart after returning from the storm delay.

At times, Les Bleus need only a flash of brilliance to wrap up a dull match like the one they were playing on Monday in Philadelphia as the threat of an electrical storm grew. Fittingly, it was a spark from Mbappé that opened the scoring in the 14th minute, just before the skies opened over the city where the United States Declaration of Independence was signed. From the right edge of the box, the Real Madrid forward received a pass from Olise and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot into the far corner to put France ahead.

There may be aspects of the Bondy-born forward’s game open to criticism, but his outstanding scoring ability is beyond doubt. On Monday, he drew level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the second-highest scorer in World Cup history, behind only Messi. Remarkably, Mbappé has needed just 16 matches to score 16 goals.

The changes made by Deschamps, who has managed France’s national team at the past four World Cups, added more tempo to the side and dispelled the doubts from the opening match. In that debut, the team only began to click once the Mbappé–Olise partnership came to life — a tandem that connected from the outset on Monday.

Olise started from a slightly deeper position but frequently pushed forward, threading dangerous passes to Mbappé. He finished with two assists and the praise of his teammates. “Olise is an exceptional player,” Mbappé said after the match. “We have this connection among the attacking players.”

The Bayonne-born coach opted to leave young Désiré Doué on the bench in search of greater depth on the left wing with Bradley Barcola. In midfield, he brought in Roma’s combative midfielder Manu Koné — a more disciplined version of Eduardo Camavinga — in place of Aurélien Tchouaméni, who was dealing with injuries. Lucas Digne, offering greater tactical discipline, started ahead of full-back Theo Hernández.

Mbappé wonder goal

After Mbappé’s opening strike in the first half, just as France looked set to unleash a storm on Iraq, the heavens opened instead. Around the half-hour mark, all of Les Bleus’ momentum was halted during the more than two hours the match was suspended by FIFA. The stands emptied as the threat of lightning loomed. Fans waited patiently under cover for a long stretch, but eventually the party returned to the sidewalk cafés to the upbeat strains of Hey Baby! by Bruce Channel and Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.

France showed why it is a team brimming with stars — arguably the most talented among the 48 sides competing in the tournament. It has reached four of the last seven World Cup finals and produced some of the most brilliant players of the past quarter-century. The new generation is aiming to reclaim the crown eight years on. Up front, it combines blistering pace, firepower and a ruthless edge. Those in the know can recall only one more richly gifted team this century: Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winners, with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.

Now the three musketeers are three Frenchmen who radiate brilliance: Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise. To this dazzling trio can be added a young d’Artagnan in the form of the gifted Désiré Doué, who did not start but came on for Dembélé midway through the second half.

Iraq is not Senegal. It is a more organized, more compact team, but its game plan is simple — long balls and hope for the best. The team showed some order until the break. Little more can be expected from a side whose standout player is Aymen Hussein, a lanky forward who plays for Al Karma in the domestic league, and Merchas Doski, a diminutive German-born player with some pedigree at Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.

The second half was a French monologue. Iraq fell apart after the break and conceded twice: one from Mbappé following a glaring defensive error, and another from Dembélé after a surge down the right, supplied once again by the provider Olise. The PSG winger, operating tight to the right flank, seems to understand the game better now than during his time at Barcelona. He finds space, reads the tempo and carries greater authority after his time under Luis Enrique.

With the win, France secure qualification for the next round, although top spot in the group will be decided against Haaland’s Norway. Les Bleus are clear title contenders. Questions had been raised about their balance: a stellar attack, a rock-solid but not especially creative midfield, and a defence occasionally prone to lapses due to a lack of understanding between Saliba and Upamecano. But Deschamps appears to have found in Olise the player capable of breaking lines with his pace and passing. Mbappé and Dembélé pressed more than in the opening match, with the Real Madrid forward even earning applause for a recovery run in which he chased his opponent back to midfield shortly before being substituted. This rain-soaked France shone brilliantly.

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