PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France’s win over Iraq on Monday, bringing his World Cup total to 16 goals in 16 tournament appearances. The match, which was interrupted for more than two hours because of bad weather, also marked Mbappé’s 100th senior appearance for Les Bleus.
At 27, Mbappé became the youngest player to reach 100 caps for France and the national team’s 10th centurion, joining Didier Deschamps (103), Patrick Vieira (107), Zinedine Zidane (108), Marcel Desailly (116), Thierry Henry (123), Antoine Griezmann (137), Olivier Giroud (137), Lilian Thuram (142) and Hugo Lloris (145). He has 60 goals in 100 appearances.
France secured progression to the round of 32 with the result, guaranteeing at least two more games in the tournament before their final group match against Norway in Boston on Friday. The report noted that, given his age, Mbappé could still feature in multiple future World Cups.
Mbappé opened the scoring with a left-footed strike from outside the box measured at 119 km/h, then added a second from close range after an Iraqi error and an assist from Ousmane Dembélé. The report described his overall performance as mirroring the team’s uneven display but clinical when required; he was named man of the match.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised Mbappé’s leadership and scoring ability, saying, “Knowing [Mbappé], he is very demanding with himself. I have no worries about him. He is here to score goals, and he does.” Mbappé acknowledged the importance of winning the tournament over individual accolades, while the report noted he and others remain aware of the World Cup scoring records held recently by Miroslav Klose (16) and Lionel Messi (18).
