Mbappe scores twice as France weather the storm to seal knockout spot
- France vs Iraq: Mbappe scores twice in his 100th appearance as Les Bleus qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage.
- Mbappe extended his World Cup tally to 16 goals, moving joint second on the all-time scoring chart and closing in on Lionel Messi’s record.
- Dembele also netted his first World Cup goal as France cruised to a 3-0 victory over Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium on Tuesday, June 23.
Kylian Mbappe netted a brace on his 100th international appearance for France, bringing his total FIFA World Cup goals to 16, as Les Bleus cruised past Iraq to secure their place in the 2026 knockout stage.
The 3-0 triumph in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning did not come without a hitch though as the contest was delayed by at least 130 minutes due to a torrential downpour and violent thunderstorms at the venue.
The opening half was drenched in chaos, with sheets of rain hammering the stadium.
Despite the French dominating large spells, they could not breach Iraq’s resilient rearguard, except for a 14th minute strike from Mbappe that proved the difference in that encounter.
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Operating on a whole other plane, the Real Madrid icon showed exactly why he is considered one of the game’s elite.
He ignited the move himself, feeding Michael Olise down the right flank, and the Bayern Munich playmaker swiftly returned the favor.
Mbappee, cutting onto his left boot, unleashed a ferocious drive from 20 yards out.
The Iraqi keeper got a fingertip to it, but the sheer venom behind the shot carried it over the line, Mbappe’s third of the 2026 tournament and 15th overall in World Cup appearances.
After the two plus hour weather interruption, the match resumed with France dictating proceedings on the sodden turf.
Then, in the 54th minute, Mbappe grabbed his second of the day, his fourth of the competition, having already scored in the opener against Senegal.
This one came courtesy of an unselfish Ousmane Dembele, who pounced on a mishap from Iraqi custodian Ahmed Basil. Basil fumbled a near post delivery from Ahmed Qasem, and Dembele coolly squared it to Mbappe, who made no mistake in slotting home.
Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, had not managed to find the net in the first half or in France’s opener, despite his PSG pedigree.
But that selfless assist to his captain was soon followed by his first ever World Cup goal moments later.
A sublime clipped pass from Olise found him in the box, and Dembele turned sharply before dinking the ball into the net to make it three for his country, a maiden World Cup strike that will surely be the first of many.
Iraq rarely threatened to alter the outcome, despite holding their own in midfield during the first period.
Their knockout hopes now rest on the final group encounter against Senegal, who are trailing 2-0 to Norway in their concurrent fixture.
France, meanwhile, will wrap up their group campaign against Norway on the same day.
France vs Iraq FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I lineups, Tuesday, June 23, 2026
- France starting lineup (4 2 3 1): Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe.
- Iraq starting lineup (4 2 3 1): Ahmed Basil; Hussein Ali, Akam Hashim, Zaid Tahseen, Merchas Doski; Amir Al Ammari, Zaid Ismael; Ibrahim Bayesh, Zidane Iqbal, Ahmed Qasem; Aymen Hussein.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026
France vs Senegal lineups
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Gor Mahia move closer to SportPesa League title after beating Murang’a SEAL to go 4 points clear
Gor Mahia moved a step closer to reclaiming the SportPesa League title after convincingly beating Murang’a SEAL 1-3 on Sunday afternoon at Nyayo National Stadium, stretching their lead in the title race back to four points against rivals AFC Leopards with two matches remaining.
The win moves the League leaders to 68 points, keeping them firmly in the driving seat for the championship and leaving them just one win away from securing the title.
For MSEAL, the home defeat leaves them frozen on 41 points, keeping them mid-table but denting their ambitions of securing a top-half finish as the season reaches its climax.
READ MORE: AFC Leopards edge Kakamega Homeboyz to move within one point of leaders Gor Mahia
Gor Mahia move closer to SportPesa League title
The match sparked into life in the 18th minute when Gor Mahia opened the scoring from a perfectly weighted pass by Shariff Musa, he ensuing melee found Samuel Kapen, who wasted no time dribbling past goalkeeper Boniface Ngamau to slot home the opener.
The host responded almost immediately with an attack of their own, and exactly 18 minutes later, they found the equalizer. A long ball from goalkeeper Ngamau found its way into the danger zone within seconds, where Lucas Maina flicked it on to Joe Waithira, who fired home to send the teams into the break level.
The second half proved to be a more tactical affair, but the visitors reclaimed the lead in the 52nd minute. A long throw-in by Samuel Kapen was flicked over by Frank Odhiambo and miscued by Ben Stanley Omondi, falling kindly for Shariff Musa on the right, who made no mistake in slotting home.
SEAL moved in swiftly and thought they had a second equalizer just minutes later after a wonderful, grass cutting free-kick from Waithira, but Bryne Omondi was equal to the task, pulling off a spectacular save to keep Gor ahead.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia FC: squad, fixtures, standings, results and stats
The points were safely secured in the 78th minute when Shariff Musa turned provider. Musa ran swiftly down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint pass to substitute Ebenezer Assifuah, who fired home with clinical composure.
In a frantic final few minutes, Murang’a SEAL made one last desperate attempt to claw their way back, but the youngster-heavy frontline ran out of ideas as Gor Mahia’s experience shone through, ensuring the match ended 1-3.
The win maintains Gor Mahia’s dominance over Murang’a SEAL this season, and they will head home happier of the two teams, standing on the very cusp of a historic 22nd league title.
Starting Lineups
Murang’a SEAL: Bonface Ngamau, Victor Omulama, Dennis Munyovi, Prince Musebe, Paul Ngugi, United Telvin Maina, Washington Owen, Joe Irungu, Lucas Maina, Michael Macharia, Victor Haki.
Gor Mahia: Bryne Omondi, Paul Ochuoga, Bryton Onyona, Mike Kibwage, Frank Odhiambo, Alpha Onyango, Ben Stanley, Lawrence Juma, Shariff Musa, Patrick Essombe, Samuel Kapen.
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Shabana break FKF Cup jinx in booking quarterfinal ticket, Murang’a SEAL stunned by Div 1 side
Shabana FC have finally broken their Round of 16 jinx in the Football Kenya Federation Cup (FKF) competition after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over a spirited Kuta Collection FC at the Wang’uru Stadium on Saturday afternoon to book a ticket to the quarterfinals.
The Glamour Boys displayed prowess to overcome the non-league side, keeping their dreams of continental football and a maiden FKF Cup title alive.
The decisive moment of the match arrived in the first half when Brian Michira found space in the final third after being teed by Brian Bett and unleashed a clinical loop that left Kuta Collection goalkeeper Mustapha Oduor with no chance.
Despite Kuta’s relentless pressure in the second half to find an equalizer and force the game into penalties, the Kisii-based side held firm.
The victory marks a historic milestone for Shabana who have successfully advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in three attempts.
ALSO READ: Out of contract, not out of hope: How Augustine Kuta is issuing lifeline for unattached Kenyan footballers
While Shabana celebrated in Mwea, the biggest shock of the tournament unfolded elsewhere as SportPesa League side Murang’a Seal were convincingly dumped out of the competition by FKF Division One outfit Mfalme FC.
The Eldoret-based side produced a masterclass in thrashing the last edition’s third-place finishers 5-1.
Amos Kanyere and Payai Aron netted a brace each as Felix Ochieng’ bagged the fifth.
Seal’s consolation was scored by Victor Haki from the spot.
With their respective victories, Shabana FC and Mfalme FC have officially joined heavyweights Kenya Police and Tusker FC in the last eight.
Action continues on Sunday as 3K FC host Bandari at the Wang’uru Stadium in Mwea while Kasarani will host a double header of KCB Vs Chebaiywa Lions and Posta Rangers against defending champions Nairobi United.
The winner of this tournament will get more than just a trophy as they earn the single spot to represent Kenya in the 26/27 CAF Confederation Cup.
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In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.
The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.