Kylian Mbappe scored twice on his 100th appearance for France as Didier Deschamps’ side cruised past Iraq 3-0 in Philadelphia….reports London Daily News Desk
Kylian Mbappe celebrated his 100th international appearance in style, scoring twice as France defeated Iraq 3-0 to secure qualification for the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 with one group game still to play.
The France captain produced another clinical display in front of goal, while Ousmane Dembele also found the net as Les Bleus extended their perfect start to the tournament and confirmed their place in the knockout stages from Group I.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a thunderous left foot strike from outside the box after being set up by Michael Olise. The goal underlined the forward’s growing influence at the tournament and set France firmly on course for victory.
The 27 year old struck again after the break when a costly mistake by Iraq gifted France a second goal. A misplaced goal kick involving defender Zaid Tahseen and goalkeeper Ahmed Basil allowed Dembele to seize possession and square the ball for Mbappe, who made no mistake from close range.
The brace continued Mbappe’s remarkable World Cup scoring record. He has now netted 16 goals in the competition, moving level with German great Miroslav Klose and just one behind record holder Lionel Messi, who leads the all time standings with 17.
Dembele capped a fine evening for France by adding a third goal 12 minutes later. The winger was played through by Olise and finished emphatically to score the first World Cup goal of his international career.
The result leaves France in a commanding position ahead of their final group match against Norway, knowing their place in the knockout rounds is already secured.
Mbappe’s latest goals also strengthened his challenge for the Golden Boot, taking his tournament tally to four and keeping him within touching distance of Messi in the scoring charts.
The milestone appearance marked another landmark moment in Mbappe’s international career. He now has 100 caps for France and is closing in on Didier Deschamps’ total of 103 appearances for Les Bleus.
With France among the favourites for the title, Mbappe will have further opportunities to chase both individual records and World Cup glory as the tournament enters its knockout phase.
