Kylian Mbappé scores twice for France in the longest ever World Cup match

France and Iraq had a long, hard day when they met each other for the Group I clash on Monday, June 22. Didier Deschamps's side defeated Iraq 3-0, who are playing only their second FIFA World Cup since their debut in 1986.

French captain Kylian Mbappé scored a brace in his 100th international appearance. However, the match, played at the Philadelphia Stadium, ended up becoming the longest ever World Cup match due to a heavy storm that delayed the match by more than two hours.

France seal knock-out spot amidst chaos and heavy rain

When France took to the field in Philadelphia against Iraq, they were the clear favourites. With a star-studded team and a prolific goalscorer like Kylian Mbappé, they ended up scoring three goals, securing their spot at the Round of 32.

A stormy evening at Philadelphia

Mbappé scored the first goal in just 14 minutes as France continued to dominate. Soon, heavy rain clouded vision and the half-time whistle came as a relief for both the players and the fans in the stadium.

What followed was a long wait as a severe storm prevented the game from restarting. According to protocol in the USA, match must be suspended for 30 minutes the moment lightning strikes within 8-miles distance from the venue. The clock resets every time there is a new strike as fans are asked to evacuate open spaces. This caused a whopping 131-minute delay before the match could resume after two hours.

Kylian Mbappé continues to chase records

Once the players were back on the pitch and the players resumed the match, France were back to business. Ousmane Dembélé made the perfect assist to help Mbappé score his second in the 54th minute. This goal helped 27-year-old equal Germany's Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals.

Hours before Mbappé scored his 16th goal in his 16th World Cup match, 38-year-old Lionel Messi scored a brace to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 18 goals.

Dembélé put the cherry on the cake, scoring his first ever World Cup goal in the 66th minute. As expected, Mbappé took home the Player of the Match award, as he chases a second World Cup trophy in his third tournament.

For their last Group Stage fixture, France will face Norway for an epic Kylian Mbappé vs Erling Haaland duel as both teams fight for the top spot in the group.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.