World Cup – Mbappe scores twice as France easily defeats Iraq 3-0 to advance to the next round.

The second round of Group I matches in the 2026 World Cup has concluded, with France easily defeating Iraq 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Center in Philadelphia, USA. With this second consecutive win, they secured first place in the group and qualified for the Round of 32 with one match to spare.

Due to thunderstorms, France had very few attacking opportunities in the first half. Nevertheless, the superior French team took the lead in the 13th minute: Michael Olisse passed back from the right wing at a 45-degree angle, and Kylian Mbappé fired a long-range shot into the net. In the 26th minute, Melchas Doskey's cross from the left wing was quite dangerous, but Ali Hammadi's header at the far post went just wide.

The second half began with both sides switching sides. In the 53rd minute, Iraq's defense made a fatal mistake: goalkeeper Ahmed Basil failed to receive a pass from Zaid Tahsin, allowing Osman Dembélé, lurking in the penalty area, to intercept and cross the ball. Mbappé easily tapped it into the empty net, extending France's lead to 2-0.

After that, France, leading by two goals, grew stronger. In the 57th minute, Mbappe dribbled past two players and passed the ball across, but Olise's lob from the right side of the penalty area unfortunately hit the crossbar. In the 58th minute, Dembele's curling shot inside the penalty area was saved by Basile, and Adrian Rabiot's close-range header went wide to the left.

In the 65th minute, Olise intercepted a through ball and executed a flawless play, allowing Dembele to turn and fire a low shot into the net. In the 89th minute, Mbappe received the ball in midfield and sprinted into the opponent's penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot that went over the crossbar, narrowly missing a hat-trick. At the final whistle, France secured a resounding 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Mbappe and Dembele.

Image source: Internet