PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappé moved into a tie for second place on the men’s World Cup scoring chart after scoring twice in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq on Monday, closing the gap on new record holder Lionel Messi.
The France captain took his World Cup tally to 16 goals, equaling former Germany striker Miroslav Klose and moving within two goals of Messi, who earlier on Monday became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals.
Playing in his 100th international match, Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a powerful left-footed strike from outside the penalty area to give France the lead against Iraq.
Following a weather delay that extended halftime by more than two hours, the Real Madrid forward struck again in the 54th minute after capitalizing on a defensive mistake.
Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen played a poor pass toward goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, allowing Ousmane Dembélé to intercept before setting up Mbappé for a simple finish.
The 27-year-old nearly completed his hat trick late in the match but missed a breakaway opportunity before being substituted at full time.
Mbappé had already scored twice in France’s 3-1 opening victory over Senegal, taking his tally at the tournament to four goals.
His 16 World Cup goals have come across three tournaments, with four goals in 2018, eight in 2022, and four more in 2026.
The France star, who helped his country win the World Cup in 2018 and reach the final in 2022, now has 59 international goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading scorer.
France entered the tournament among the favorites alongside Spain and has now secured its place in the knockout stage after consecutive victories.
While Messi established a new World Cup scoring record earlier in the day with his 17th and 18th tournament goals against Austria, Mbappé continues to close the gap as the race between football’s two biggest stars adds another storyline to the tournament.
Source: Saudi Gazette