Key events
Preamble
Evening everyone and welcome to the Kylian Mbappé show. He’s the captain of France, he’s the biggest name in a team full of stars, in fact the biggest name in this World Cup among all those who have yet to turn 38. He needs only a hat-trick to grab the all-time World Cup record, and he’s already the GOAT in terms of goals per match – 14 from 15, just pipping Pelé, who has 12 from 14, and possibly enraging Cristiano Ronaldo, who has only eight from 23.
Tonight, in Philadelphia, Mbappé will win his 100th cap. The stage is set, but it still takes two to tango. Can Iraq emulate Iran by pulling off a triumphant 0-0? They have never won a point at a World Cup, so it will be a surprise if they manage it against a team as good as France. But they love a challenge and don’t mind a bit of hard work: it took them 21 qualifiers to get here, more than any other nation. And in the Australian Graham Arnold, they have a manager so prone to positive thinking that when others talk of a group of death, he sees only a “group of excitement”.
Mbappé works hard too. France have played only once, against Senegal, but he has watched that game twice. Maybe he was trying to work out why it took them more than an hour to find the net, albeit against a gifted team. The final score, 3-1, may have flattered France, whose defence looked brittle with William Saliba at left centre-back rather than right, where he’s so commanding for Arsenal.
The Iraqis, on the other hand, can feel rather insulted by their first result, a 4-1 defeat to Norway. They were level for much of the first half, spirited and sparky throughout, and had 11 shots, only one fewer than their opponents. They might well have grabbed that elusive point if their finishing had been calmer – or if Erling Haaland had changed sides, as your old school coach would surely have insisted.
The kick-off is at 5pm in Philly, which is 10pm BST. Back soon with the teams.
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