Mbappé, unstoppable even by thunderstorms, sends a challenge to Messi

Written by Shen Mo Following Messi's double that crowned him the World Cup's top scorer, Mbappé netted two goals in back-to-back games, equaling Klose (16 goals). He is still only two goals away from Messi's fresh benchmark, maintaining a constant threat to surpass it. This game was a landmark occasion as Mbappé made his 100th appearance for France, and his brace served as the perfect celebration.

The match between France and Iraq was the first of this World Cup to be delayed due to thunderstorm conditions. At Philadelphia Stadium, it was pouring by the 40th minute of the first half, and at halftime, officials announced the second half would be postponed due to lightning. Eventually, the second half resumed after a delay of 2 hours and 11 minutes. To speed up play, the water break was omitted for the first time in this tournament during the second half. As *L'Équipe* noted, the thunderstorm could not stop Mbappé and France's excellent form. Despite the long two-hour wait, Mbappé, who had already scored a world-class goal in the first half, completed his brace, while Dembélé added another, giving France a 3-0 victory over Iraq and securing their advancement a round early.

Just 14 minutes into the match, Olise crossed the ball, and Mbappé fired a curling world-class strike from the edge of the box, giving France a perfect start. As Mbappé said after the game, even if the match were delayed by three hours, he remained confident that he could score more goals to secure victory for France. In the second half, which was delayed by two hours, Mbappé fulfilled his promise within just nine minutes. A miscommunication between Iraq's goalkeeper and defender allowed Dembélé to intercept and pass to Mbappé, who slotted into an empty net for his second goal. In the 66th minute, Olise assisted Dembélé, sealing a 3-0 win for France and booking their place in the knockout stage one match early.

Mbappé, with braces in consecutive games, is in scorching form at the World Cup. At 27 years and 184 days, he made his 100th international appearance, making him the fourth-youngest player in Europe to achieve this feat, behind only Ramos (Spain, 26 years 357 days), Podolski (Germany, 27 years 13 days), and Viktmae (Estonia, 27 years 109 days). If France reaches the World Cup quarter-finals, he will surpass head coach Deschamps (103 caps). Although he cannot catch up to Vieira (107) or Zidane (108) in this tournament, given his age, surpassing France's all-time appearance leader Lloris (145) is only a matter of time. Moreover, scoring a brace in his 100th game during a World Cup makes Mbappé only the second player after Klose to do so. His World Cup goal tally also ties Klose (16 goals), and he could overtake the German legend at any moment.

With 16 goals in 16 World Cup matches across three tournaments, Mbappé has been setting the record for youngest goalscorer since netting his 8th World Cup goal in 2022. This tournament's record has been extended to 16 goals, and he is likely to keep pushing it further. In this match, Mbappé surpassed Ronaldo's World Cup goal tally and equaled Klose; one more goal will give him sole possession of the World Cup's all-time silver boot, closely chasing Messi's freshly won golden boot. Since his World Cup debut in 2018, Mbappé has scored 16 goals, the most in that period, surpassing Messi (13) and Kane (10), earning the title of the "World Cup goalscorer of this era." Including both European Championships and World Cups, Mbappé has 17 major tournament goals, tying Kane among European players, behind only Gerd Müller (18), Klose (19), and Cristiano Ronaldo (22). If he maintains his hot streak, he could overtake Ronaldo and top the list in this World Cup.

Mbappé has scored braces in three consecutive World Cup matches, tying Stabile and Messi, and trailing only Kocsis (4). However, Mbappé has scored at least two goals in six World Cup games, the most such performances in tournament history. As France's captain, Mbappé has netted four goals in this World Cup, surpassing Zidane (3) and tying Platini to become the highest-scoring French captain in World Cup history.

Although this season ended without a trophy for Mbappé at Real Madrid, his offensive numbers remain staggering. He has scored 52 goals for club and country this season, matching his tally from the 2024/25 season and trailing only the 2022/23 season (54 goals). Similarly, with France already advancing, Mbappé has at least two more World Cup matches to play, giving him the chance to set a new personal single-season goal record.

In this World Cup, Mbappé has matured further after taking on the captain's armband. With the strong support of Olise behind him, he is at his peak both mentally and physically. *Le Parisien* marveled that Mbappé has saved his best form for the World Cup. If he can maintain this level, France will be extremely difficult to beat. After advancing early, France's title odds remain the highest, and *L'Équipe* believes Mbappé can lead France to become the third team—after West Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002)—to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.