Mbappe closes on 'Klose' as France take one-goal lead against Iraq

France kept knocking on Iraq's door while their defence stood firm, except on one occasion against Kylian Mbappe, as Les Bleus took a one-goal lead into half-time in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I clash at Philadelphia Stadium.

Attack after attack, France pressed relentlessly against the Iraqi backline, and their persistence paid off in the 14th minute.

The move developed down the right flank as Mbappe received the ball from midfield. Spotting Michael Olise making a run towards the edge of the penalty area, he attempted a pass.

The ball was intercepted by an Iraqi defender with a sliding tackle, but Mbappe reacted quickest to regain possession. Taking two quick touches towards the penalty area, the French captain unleashed a shot from just outside the box.

The ball flew through a crowd of defenders and, although goalkeeper Ahmed Basil got a hand to it, the effort squirmed past him and into the net. France led.

The goal also took Mbappe's World Cup tally to 15, drawing him level with Brazilian great Ronaldo as the third-highest scorer in tournament history. Germany's Miroslav Klose sits on 16, while Lionel Messi, following his exploits earlier in the day, has moved clear at the top with 18.

Iraq coach Graham Arnold had set his side up in a 4-5-1 formation for the match, moving away from his usual 4-4-2 in an attempt to contain France's attacking threat. For large parts of the half, the plan worked reasonably well.

Their packed midfield helped disrupt France's rhythm and occasionally allowed the Lions of Mesopotamia to advance into the final third. However, the finishing touch was lacking. Whenever Iraq managed to hold possession, they showed flashes of promise on the counterattack, but an aggressive French press made sustained attacks difficult.

In the 27th minute, Ali Al-Hamadi produced Iraq's best effort of the half, forcing France's defence to remain alert.

But apart from that, the opening 45 minutes largely belonged to France.

Mbappe remained a constant menace and nearly doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute. Receiving the ball on the left, he drove into the penalty area before attempting a shot, only for the Iraqi defence to block the effort and keep the deficit at one goal heading into the break.

Lineups:

France: Mike Maignan, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola

Iraq: Ahmed Basil, Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Akam Hashim, Merchas Doski, Ibrahim Bayesh, Zidane Iqbal, Amir Alammari, Zaid Ismael, Ahmed Qasem, Aymen Hussein