Defying weather chaos and winning a mammoth match: In the pouring rain of Philadelphia, Kylian Mbappé, celebrating a milestone, drenched Iraq with his favored France.
After an interruption of 132 minutes, Les Bleus confidently defeated the underdog 3-0 (1-0) in their second World Cup appearance. At halftime, the stands in the open arena had to be evacuated due to a nearby severe storm. Ultimately, almost four hours passed from kick-off to the final whistle.
Still dry, Mbappé (14th minute) had put the billion-dollar ensemble ahead with another assist from his perfect partner Michael Olise. On the flooded pitch, after a massively extended first half due to the weather, he finally leveled with Miroslav Klose’s 16th World Cup goal (54th minute). Ousmane Dembele also scored (66th minute).
This means the French have prematurely advanced to the knockout stage. On June 26th, in Boston, they will play Norway, with only group victory at stake. Finishing first in Group I would make Didier Deschamps’ team a potential German opponent in the round of 16. The winless Iraq, on the other hand, is on the verge of elimination.
Despite warnings of severe thunderstorms: Match starts on time
Uncertainty about the match’s staging already prevailed during the day, as the national weather service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning due to lightning and a possible tornado. However, after a delay of about 40 minutes for spectator entry, the sky over Philadelphia cleared up for the time being, and the encounter could start as planned. Thus, the new French record goalscorer Mbappé, who had replaced Olivier Giroud in the first World Cup game, made his 100th international appearance.
And, of course, goals for his jubilee were not to be missed: once again, assisted by Olise, the superstar curled the ball into the corner with his left foot from 18 meters. The Équipe Tricolore, unlike in their 3-1 opening win against Senegal, showed great joy in playing from the first minute, combined lightning-fast, and presented the extremely deep-sitting Iraq with huge problems. However, the final pass in the attacking third often faltered.
Torrential rain sets in — Stadium evacuation due to thunderstorm
After the pitch had been properly watered during the hydration break, torrential rain set in after 37 minutes. As a thunderstorm was in the vicinity, the stadium was evacuated according to US guidelines for fan safety at halftime. However, no thunder was heard and no lightning was seen in the arena itself. «We are recovering. There’s no point in speculating. There was a warning,» said Deschamps.
Uncertainty prevailed in the corridors for a long time before the second half began with a 117-minute delay. Despite the best efforts of diligent helpers with rollers and brooms, masses of water stood on the pitch, and the ball did not roll normally in some areas. But this hardly bothered France’s stars: Mbappé took advantage of a gift from Iraq’s defense, and Dembélé followed suit. The final phase in the now dry Philadelphia turned into a demonstration.