Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: The skies of Philadelphia were stormy at the time. The game was stopped for more than two hours due to the fear of thunderstorms and strong winds blowing over the field. But before or after the start of the battle on the field, Kylian Mbappe did not lose his rhythm at any moment. He ignored the adverse weather and continued to shine in the battle on the field. France defeated Iraq 3-0 with a double goal from Mbappe and a goal from Ousmane Dembele, ensuring a place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. The French began to attack the Iraqi defense from the start of the match. In the 14th minute of the game, a magnificent left-footed shot from outside the box by Mbappe shook the opponent's net. Deschamps' disciples had the opportunity to increase the gap by maintaining dominance in the first half, but the conditions of the Philadelphia sky were indicating something different. The referee was forced to announce the suspension of the game at the end of the first half due to heavy rain and lightning. The second half of the match, which started at 3 am Bangladesh time, resumed at 6 am. This is the first time that a match has been temporarily suspended due to weather conditions in this World Cup. Before the long break, the familiar Mbappe was seen again in the second half.
He scored his second goal of the match, keeping the Iraqi defense close. With this goal, the French forward took his goal tally to 16 in the World Cup, which put him next to the legendary Miroslav Klose. His gap with Messi is now only two goals. Lionel Messi has risen to the top of the list with 18 goals after scoring a brace against Austria in the previous match in Dallas. However, Mbappe's hunger for goals seems to have increased even more, as he is addicted to breaking the record that Messi has reached. In addition to Mbappe's skills, Ousmane Dembele was in great rhythm in the midfield and attack today. He also scored a goal to increase the margin of defeat for Iraq. With this big victory, France easily crossed the group stage barrier. Although the thunderstorm in the first half of the game slowed down the pace of France's attack a bit, they returned to the field after a long break and showed how determined they are to fight for the title. Mbappe is now only keeping an eye on Messi's record, and France as a team is moving forward to achieve their goals. Mbappe has scored four goals alone in the current World Cup.
