France 3-0 Iraq: Kylian Mbappe enjoys historic night as Didier Deschamps eyes remarkable World Cup record

France beat Iraq 3-0 to publication their spot successful the knockout signifier of the 2026 World Cup, with the crippled notably interrupted by mediocre weather.

Kylian Mbappe gave France an aboriginal lead, producing an fantabulous long-range onslaught successful the 14th infinitesimal aft receiving the shot connected the borderline of the container from Michael Olise.

The crippled was delayed astatine half-time aft a terrible thunderstorm deed Philadelphia and did not resume until astir 2 hours later.

Less than 10 minutes aft the resumption, Mbappe scored his second, having been teed up by Ousmane Dembele pursuing a horrendous mistake from Iraq.

Dembele past got connected the scoresheet himself, his archetypal astatine a large tournament, firing past Ahmed Basil aft being recovered successful the container by Olise.

Here, Sports Mole picks retired 3 talking points from the match.

France 3-0 Iraq: Kylian Mbappe rekindles World Cup rivalry with Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe fires France up connected his 100th quality for his state ?? pic.twitter.com/77fyFHktTL

It was a historical nighttime for Mbappe arsenic helium became conscionable the 10th antheral to gain 100 caps for France and helium marked the juncture with different fantabulous performance.

Having starred successful France's opener against Senegal, becoming their all-time starring scorer arsenic helium bagged a brace successful a 3-1 win, Mbappe followed it up with different brace against Iraq.

It has been an outstanding commencement to the tourney for the Real Madrid star, who present has 16 World Cup goals and is conscionable 2 down Lionel Messi.

Messi became the tournament's all-time apical scorer aft netting doubly against Austria conscionable hours earlier France's crippled with Iraq, with the Argentine superstar moving up of Germany fable Miroslav Klose.

One of the much intriguing subplots of this tourney volition beryllium the rivalry betwixt Messi and Mbappe implicit this record, peculiarly fixed the pair's starring roles successful the 2022 final.

France 3-0 Iraq: Michael Olise's cardinal role

Olise has enjoyed a singular rise, having gone from playing successful the Championship with Reading to starring astatine the highest level for Bayern Munich and France successful conscionable 3 years.

The 24-year-old is possibly the astir originative subordinate successful the satellite close now, having travel into the World Cup disconnected the backmost of a stunning run wherever helium produced 31 assists successful each competitions.

Olise fell conscionable 1 abbreviated of matching Lionel Messi's grounds for the astir assists successful a azygous play since 2000 and has carried that signifier into the tournament.

The assists for Mbappe's opener and Dembele's onslaught means Olise has present been straight progressive successful six goals successful his past 3 appearances for France, having bagged 3 goals and provided 3 assists.

Mbappe whitethorn beryllium the 1 who dominates the headlines, but Olise is besides hugely important to France's hopes of lifting the trophy.

France 3-0 Iraq: Didier Deschamps eyes World Cup record

Didier Deschamps is acceptable to permission France astatine the extremity of the tourney aft 14 years successful complaint and helium volition beryllium hoping to bow retired by winning the World Cup for a 3rd time, having done truthful arsenic a subordinate successful 1998 and a manager successful 2018.

The 57-year-old has already go conscionable the 3rd manager to manager the aforesaid federation astatine 4 consecutive World Cups and the triumph implicit Iraq saw him adjacent the grounds for the astir victories with 16.

Deschamps present sits level with erstwhile West Germany manager Helmut Schon and volition determination up of him if France tin bushed Norway successful their last radical crippled connected Friday.