France: Kylian Mbapp© scored his second brace of the tournament and Ousmane Demb©l© added a third as France cruised to a 3-0 victory over Iraq, sealing their place in the round of 32 in a World Cup opener disrupted by severe weather. Mbapp©'s two goals, in his 100th international appearance, came roughly three hours apart after thunderstorms delayed the second-half start by nearly two hours.
According to Oman News Agency, the strikes took Mbapp©'s World Cup tally to 16, drawing him level with former record-holder Miroslav Klose. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi set a new record, taking his tally to 18 with both goals in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria. Mbapp©'s four goals in the tournament now leave him one behind Messi in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot.
Demb©l©, the current Ballon d'Or holder, struck after the break for two-time champions France, who face Norway on Friday in a decisive Group Nine top-of-the-table showdown. Norway beat Senegal 3-2, leaving both sides level on six points.
Iraq remain in contention for one of the eight best third-placed spots, but will need to beat Senegal in their final group match and rely on other results to go their way.