Philadelphia (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe said he was not paying too much attention to World Cup scoring records after getting two more goals on what he described as a draining night in Philadelphia, as France beat Iraq 3-0 in a game interrupted by a two-hour storm delay. Mbappe’s strikes came either side of half-time on his 100th appearance for France, with Ousmane Dembele scoring the other goal in a match that was held up at half-time as torrential rain lashed the city.
“It was a very long evening. In terms of staying switched on emotionally, it was very difficult because we had to remain focused in the dressing room for almost two hours. That is very difficult and very demanding,” said Mbappe. France coach Didier Deschamps added, “We stayed calm. I was joking with the players. This is a security matter, so I don’t blame anyone for it. As soon as there is a risk, we adapt to local laws. These are unusual circumstances, and I hope it won’t happen again.”
Related news
A match that began at 5:00 pm local time didn’t finish until close to 9:00 pm, but Mbappe’s performance made it memorable for other reasons for the capacity crowd of over 68,000. His brace came after a double in France’s opening 3-1 win over Senegal, and he has now scored seven goals in his last three World Cup matches, including his hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina. With 16 World Cup goals, Mbappe has equaled the pre-tournament overall scoring record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
Lionel Messi, Mbappe’s old teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, shot past that mark earlier Monday with two goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria, establishing a new record of 18. “Leo always scores goals and always will. So, I am not looking at what he is doing; I’m just focusing on helping my team,” said Mbappe. He now has 60 goals for his country, having overtaken Olivier Giroud’s previous French record of 57 against Senegal.
It was put to him that he could chase down the record for most goals scored in one World Cup, held by France’s Just Fontaine, who scored 13 in 1958 in Sweden. “I’m not thinking about that just now. I think it is important to focus on the collective at the moment,” said the Real Madrid superstar. “I have always scored goals at the World Cup, but the priority is to be at our best as a team. You need to beat the best teams to win a World Cup, so it’s going to be very difficult.”
Les Bleus are already through to the last 32 with two wins from two in Group I and will next return to their Boston base, where they play Norway on Friday. Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in New Jersey later on Monday, meaning they are also now through. France and Norway are level on six points each, but France’s superior goal difference means they will finish top of Group I with a draw in that last match.
“The players and staff had to make a big effort. But we did the job and we are very pleased with how we played,” said Mbappe. Iraq now has to beat Senegal in Toronto on Friday to stand a chance of advancing as a best third-placed team. The Lions of Mesopotamia have now played five World Cup matches across two tournaments and lost them all.
“We stuck to our game plan and executed it pretty well, but France are good. We still have a chance; we are still in the competition, so we have to go back and correct our mistakes and then go out and give everything against Senegal,” said defender Rebin Sulaka. Of the storm delay, he added, “Of course it impacts the players, but I think if you see how we came out after half-time, we played really good after the break, so I don’t think it impacted us as much as you think.”
© 2024 AFP
