Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field.
The French team entered this World Cup fixture looking to secure their position in the group. After an opening round of matches, Les Bleus needed a strong performance to assert their dominance on the global stage.
Iraq struggled to cope with the European giants from the opening whistle. Midfielder Amir Al-Ammari received a yellow card in just the sixth minute after a late challenge halted a promising French attack.
France capitalized on their early pressure in the 14th minute. Michael Olise delivered a precise pass to Mbappé, who guided the ball home with a composed finish to open the scoring.
The French side controlled the tempo for the rest of the first half. They created several opportunities through Ousmane Dembélé on the wing. However, the Iraqi defense held firm under intense pressure.
Iraq needed to find a way to test the French defense in the second period. Meanwhile, France aimed to turn their possession into more goals to seal the three points early.
The second goal arrived in the 54th minute through a familiar combination. Olise turned provider once again, setting up Mbappé to fire his second goal of the match past the Iraqi goalkeeper.
France put the game completely out of reach in the 66th minute. Dembélé combined with his teammates before slotting a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
Both managers made changes late in the game to manage player fitness. France comfortably kept the ball in the closing stages, denying Iraq any opportunity to launch a comeback.
The statistics showed absolute French dominance throughout the ninety minutes. France controlled 55 percent of the possession and registered 19 total shots. In contrast, Iraq failed to test the French goalkeeper, finishing with zero shots on target.
This decisive victory moves France to second place in the group standings with three points. Iraq remains at the bottom of the table after suffering this opening defeat in the tournament.
France will look to build on this momentum in their next group stage match as they push for the knockout rounds. Iraq faces a must-win fixture to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
