(VIDEO) Mbappe Scores Twice as France Cruises Past Iraq in Weather-Delayed Match in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move joint-second in the all-time World Cup goalscoring list as France cruised past Iraq in a weather-delayed game in Philadelphia.

Mbappe netted early in both halves to take his World Cup goals tally to 16 in 16 games, two shy of Lionel Messi, who broke Miroslav Klose's record hours earlier.

France versus Iraq became the first match at this World Cup to be interrupted by severe weather, with the second half beginning more than two hours after the first period ended because of lightning strikes in the area.

Heavy rainfall earlier in the day had delayed supporters' entry to Philadelphia Stadium, although the match kicked off on time despite those earlier complications.

France began strongly and their early dominance was rewarded in the 14th minute when Mbappe arrowed a left-footed strike into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.

But the 2018 champions struggled to create any clear chances after the first-half hydration break, with Iraq able to enjoy longer spells of possession despite losing striker and captain Aymen Hussein to injury.

France emerged from the extended break with renewed conviction but were gifted a second goal. Iraq keeper Ahmed Basil failed to control a short goal-kick taken by defender Zaid Tahseen, and Ousmane Dembélé teed up Mbappe for a simple finish.

Further Chances and a Third Goal

Les Bleus had further chances to extend their lead. Adrien Rabiot missed a clear header and Michael Olise hit the crossbar with an audacious dink before Dembélé scored France's third with a strike into the bottom corner.

The goal — set up by a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass from Olise — was Dembélé's first for France at a major tournament in his 20th appearance.

Iraq's Late Chances Go Unconverted

Iraq created two decent chances in the final 20 minutes, but defender Rebin Sulaka volleyed over from Zidane Iqbal's corner before Ali Al Hamadi couldn't get on the end of a teasing Marko Farji cross.

Mbappe then raced clear late on and looked set to complete his hat trick, but he lashed a left-footed effort high and wide.

Where the Group Stands

France, who are bidding to reach a third successive World Cup final, are top of Group I with six points while Iraq are bottom with zero.

Tuesday's action in Philadelphia followed directly on the heels of an even more significant individual milestone earlier in the day, when Messi broke Klose's all-time World Cup scoring record. With Mbappe now sitting just two goals behind Messi's new mark, the two stars' parallel pursuit of football's most coveted individual tournament record has added an additional layer of intrigue to France and Argentina's respective remaining campaigns, even as both nations remain focused primarily on advancing through the knockout stages.

A Difficult Tournament Continues for Iraq

For Iraq, the result extends a difficult return to the World Cup stage after a 40-year absence from the tournament. Having now finished the group stage without a single point, Iraq's campaign closes with the team having faced one of the more challenging draws in the competition, pitting them against established European and African powers in their group.

With France having now secured top spot in Group I, attention turns to how the team's path through the knockout rounds unfolds as Didier Deschamps's side continues its bid for a third consecutive World Cup final appearance. Mbappe's continued proximity to Messi's newly set scoring record will likely remain a closely tracked storyline throughout the remainder of the tournament, particularly if both stars' teams continue advancing deep into the knockout bracket. For Iraq, the conclusion of the group stage marks the end of a memorable, if winless, return to the World Cup, with the program now looking ahead to whether it can build on the experience gained from competing on the sport's biggest stage after such a lengthy absence.