Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move into joint-second on the all-time World Cup goalscoring list as France eased past Iraq in a weather-delayed match in Philadelphia.
Mbappé struck early in both halves to take his World Cup tally to 16 goals in 16 appearances, leaving him just two behind Lionel Messi, who had earlier broken Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record.
The France vs Iraq clash became the first match of the tournament to be disrupted by severe weather, with the second half delayed by more than two hours after lightning was detected in the area.
Heavy rain earlier in the day had already delayed supporters’ entry to Philadelphia Stadium, although kick-off went ahead as scheduled.
France started strongly and were rewarded in the 14th minute when Mbappé curled a left-footed strike into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.
However, the 2018 world champions struggled to create clear chances after the first-half hydration break, with Iraq enjoying longer spells of possession despite losing captain and striker Aymen Hussein to injury.
France returned from the extended interruption with renewed intensity and were gifted their second goal when Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil miscontrolled a short goal-kick from defender Zaid Tahseen, allowing Ousmane Dembélé to set up Mbappé for a simple finish.
Les Bleus continued to press and added a third goal as Ousmane Dembélé finished calmly into the bottom corner after a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass from Michael Olise, marking his first goal for France at a major tournament in his 20th appearance.
Iraq created a couple of late chances, with Rebin Sulaka volleying over from a Zidane Iqbal corner and Ali Al Hamadi failing to connect with a teasing cross from Marko Farji.
Mbappé came close to completing his hat-trick in the closing stages after racing through on goal, but he fired his left-footed effort over the bar.
France, who are targeting a third consecutive World Cup final appearance, top Group I with six points, while Iraq remain bottom without a point.
