France Dominates Iraq to Advance to Knockout Stage
- Philip Fox
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Credit Sky Sports
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Day two of Group I matches at the 2026 World Cup took place on Monday, June 22nd. The first game was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where France faced Iraq. On match day 1, France had secured a decisive win over Senegal, while Iraq had struggled against Norway.
Les Bleus started the game similarly to the previous week, deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation with Kylian Mbappé as captain. The attacking midfield trio included Michael Olise in the center, Ousmane Dembélé on the right wing, and Bradley Barcola on the left wing. The defensive midfield duo consisted of Adrien Rabiot and Kouadio Koné. The backline featured Lucas Digne, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Jules Koundé, while France's last line of defense was goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Didier Deschamps managed the squad.
Iraq began with a 4-3-3 formation, shifting from their previous 4-4-2. Ahmed Basil Fadhil served as their starting goalkeeper. In the defensive line, Iraq featured Hussein Ali at right back, Zaid Tahseen and Akam Hashem at center back, and Merchas Doski at left back. In the midfield, Iraq’s lineup included Zaid Ismael on the right, Amir Al-Ammari in the center, and Zidane Iqbal on the left. Iraq’s attacking trio featured Ibrahim Bayesh on the left wing, captain Ayman Hussein as the central striker, and Ahmed Qasem on the right wing. Australian Graham Arnold managed the team.
The match kicked off quickly, with France coming out attacking within the first minute, as Mbappé almost scored right away. In the 14th minute, captain Mbappé did what he did best, firing a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner to give France a 1-0 lead. The Iraqi goalkeeper got a finger to the ball, but it was no match for Mbappé's power.
Around the 37th minute, it started to rain heavily in Philadelphia, with players and spectators all pushing through the downpour until halftime.
Les Bleus finished the first half with 58% possession, seven shots, and only one on target—yet they made it count. Iraq struggled to get anything going, ending the half with just two shots, neither of which was on target.
The second half finally started after a two-hour delay due to severe thunderstorms and lightning in the area. Once the rain eased up, France capitalized in the 54th minute when Iraq was about to take a goal kick. The center-back poorly played the ball to the goalkeeper, and it bounced over to Dembélé, who easily set up Mbappé for a tap-in—this marked Mbappé’s fourth goal in the tournament up to that point.
In the 66th minute, the Iraqi goalkeeper made another basic mistake, passing the ball directly to a French attacker in his own half. France took advantage, passing the ball with ease to Dembélé, who scored the third and final goal of the night.
France ended the game with 56% possession, 19 shots, and five on target. Iraq managed only four shots, none of which hit the target.
While much talk centered on Messi tying for the most goals in World Cup history, it was worth noting that Kylian Mbappé’s four goals this year bring him to 16 goals across three World Cups, tying him for second place. He trails the legendary Argentine by just two goals. Given how unpredictable the tournament had been up to that point, nobody knew who would hold the top spot by the end. This win advanced France to the knockout stage, but with Norway also earning three points, the final group stage match is set to determine the group winner. France is scheduled to face Norway on Friday, while Iraq is set to play Senegal in their final group match.
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