World Cup Nights: Mbappe and Haaland light up the night, France and Norway reach the last 32
A night of lightning and braces. In Philadelphia, France swept Iraq aside 3-0 in the first match of this World Cup to be suspended for weather, with Kylian Mbappe scoring before and after the storm. At MetLife, Erling Haaland's Norway edged Senegal 3-2 to reach the last 32 too, while in Santa Clara Algeria came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1 and knock out the debutants. Later tonight and overnight, Italian time, it is Portugal, England, Croatia and Colombia.
In Philadelphia the night was lit by lightning. At Lincoln Financial Field, France beat Iraq 3-0, but the game will be remembered above all for the first weather stoppage in this World Cup's history: under a downpour that began around the 37th minute, the referee sent everyone to the dressing rooms at halftime and play resumed only two hours and eleven minutes later. In between came the Kylian Mbappe show: he opened on 14' with a surgical left-footed strike from the edge of the box and, after the long break, doubled the lead on 54', tapping into an empty net following a botched Iraqi goal-kick and an assist from Ousmane Dembele. Dembele himself made it 3-0 on 66' with a low right-footed finish from a Michael Olise ball: his first-ever World Cup goal on his 20th appearance at the tournament. With this brace Mbappe rose to 16 career World Cup goals, drawing level with Miroslav Klose in second place all-time, two behind Lionel Messi (18). France coach Didier Deschamps, who revealed he had passed the wait playing cards in the dressing room, shrugged off his number 10's records: 'Records are made to be beaten, and he has the quality to push the bar even higher.'
Five minutes later, on the other side of the New York metropolitan area, Norway beat Senegal 3-2 at MetLife in East Rutherford to also book their place in the last 32, in their first World Cup since 1998. Marcus Pedersen, on as a substitute for an injured teammate, broke the deadlock on 43'; in the second half Erling Haaland unleashed his fury, scoring on 48' and 58' to make it 3-1. Ismaila Sarr kept Senegal alive with a brace of his own (53' and 90'+3'), but it was not enough. Haaland is up to four goals in the tournament and is only the second player in the last fifty years to score a brace in each of his first two World Cup games, after Harry Kane in 2018. In Group I, Norway and France soar to six points and are both through; Senegal and Iraq, still on zero, meet on Friday in a straight shootout, with the Lions of Teranga now clinging to the faintest of best-third hopes.
In Santa Clara, by contrast, it was Algeria smiling: a 2-1 win over Jordan keeps their qualification hopes alive. The Jordanian debutants briefly dreamed through Nizar Al-Rashdan, who scored on 36' after a Mousa Al-Tamari slip, but in the second half Algeria's corners proved decisive: on 68' Nadhir Benbouali headed home from a Riyad Mahrez corner, and on 82' substitute Amine Gouiri completed the comeback, again with his head, from an Anis Hadj Moussa corner. Jordan, at their first-ever World Cup, bow out after just two games, while in Group J holders Argentina are already into the last 32 and Austria and Algeria, level on three points, will fight it out for second.
The World Cup does not stop: later tonight and into the early hours Italian time, Groups K and L take centre stage. It starts at 7pm in Houston with Portugal-Uzbekistan, and the big talking point remains Cristiano Ronaldo, still starting and still at the heart of the debate after the 1-1 opening draw with DR Congo settled by Joao Neves. At 10pm, in Foxborough, a Group L heavyweight clash between England and Ghana, both with maximum points: Thomas Partey, forced to miss the opener over entry issues in the United States, is ready to face Thomas Tuchel's England. At 1am, in Toronto, Panama-Croatia pits two pointless sides against each other: for Luka Modric's Croatia it is already do-or-die. The night closes at 4am, in Guadalajara, with Colombia-DR Congo, the Cafeteros leading Group K and chasing a decisive step.
On we go, one night at a time. See you tomorrow at dawn.
Highlights
In Italy, full matches are on RaiPlay.
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