Author: Bernard Okumu

Kylian Mbappe delivered a masterclass performance to guide France into the World Cup last 32 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Iraq, despite an unprecedented two-hour weather delay that disrupted the match in Philadelphia on Monday.

The Real Madrid superstar struck twice, before and after the extended weather stoppage, to reach a significant milestone, moving to 16 World Cup goals and equaling Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s all-time tally. Mbappe’s brace came on his 100th international appearance for France, a remarkable achievement marked with typical brilliance.

The France captain opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a powerful strike from 20 yards that proved too powerful for Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. However, what should have been a routine encounter took an unprecedented turn when severe thunderstorms moved through the Philadelphia area as the first half concluded.

With lightning strikes detected in the vicinity of the stadium, FIFA officials ordered players and supporters to seek immediate shelter, forcing an extraordinary two-hour delay. Players retreated to the dressing room while officials assessed the dangerous weather conditions. France coach Didier Deschamps revealed his squad even played cards during the extended break to maintain their focus.

When play finally resumed after the longest weather delay in World Cup history, France picked up where they left off. Mbappe added his second goal just nine minutes into the second half, capitalizing on a poor backpass from Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen. Ousmane Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, crowned the victory with his first World Cup goal, completing the 3-0 crush.

The commanding performance secured France’s place in the knockout round with a game to spare. Mbappe, now with 16 career World Cup goals, sits just two behind Lionel Messi’s record of 18 set earlier on Monday. As France prepares for their final group match against Norway, Mbappe’s form suggests the Golden Boot race will remain hotly contested throughout the tournament.

Tunisia’s miserable World Cup continued as their inability to progress from the group stage was confirmed by 4-0 defeat against Japan.

After a tumultuous week in which they suffered a 5-1 defeat by Sweden, sacked Sabri Lamouchi and appointed ex-Saudi Arabia boss Herve Renard as head coach, it took less than four minutes for them to go behind in Guadalupe, Mexico.

An impressive Japan, who were well drilled throughout, broke the deadlock with a quick counter-attack which ended in Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada prodding home from close range at Monterrey Stadium.

It did not take long for a dominant Japan side to inflict a second blow as Ayase Ueda produced a lovely finish to arrow the ball through the legs of a defender and into the far corner from the edge of the box.

Tunisia looked devoid of ideas for much of the game and gifted Japan ample space, which they used to display their free-flowing possession-based style.

Junya Ito added another when he rolled a simple finish past Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen after being threaded through one-on-one.

Ueda wrapped up victory when he tucked a looping header into the far corner.

Japan were constantly a cut above and were never threatened by a Tunisia side who were pedestrian and had every attack easily neutralised.

Japan have four points and are likely at least to progress as one of the best third-placed sides, but they will hope to earn a guaranteed spot in the last 32 when they take on Sweden on Friday in their final group game.

Tunisia play the Netherlands, who are top of the group, at the same time.

Mexico got the result they needed in Guadalajara, though the path to victory wasn’t exactly inspiring. The home side edged South Korea 1-0 to make history as the first nation to secure a World Cup knockout berth in this expanded tournament format.

The match was difficult to watch for long stretches. Neither team created much in a sluggish opening 45 minutes, and the crowd let their frustration be known with boos ringing around the stadium at halftime. Things finally clicked for El Tri after the interval when goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu’s collision with his own defender resulted in a loose ball that Luis Romo finished clinically.

It wasn’t the dominant performance Mexico might have hoped for, but finishing atop Group A with two wins is exactly what matters. After their disappointing 2022 campaign, this feels like redemption. Now comes the hard part—defending home advantage when the knockout stages arrive, and the competition intensifies dramatically.

Mexico will face Bosnia and Czechia in their final group A match on June 25^th.

Switzerland scored late goals after the 74th minute to seal a dramatic, late win 4-1  over Bosnia-Herzegovina and go top of Group B in a thriller of attacking prowess at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

What was a tightly contested, uneventful match for over 70 minutes set a blaze into life when 20-year-old Johan Manzambi crashed in a volley just 166 seconds after his introduction, instantly changing the momentum of the encounter. The young Freiburg midfielder’s impact was extraordinary.

Tarik Muharemovic was then shown a straight red for catching Breel Embolo on the heel as the last man, leaving Bosnia-Herzegovina defending with ten players. This proved decisive as the game was swung by the Swiss substitutes, with fellow substitute Ruben Vargas getting on the scoresheet.

Manzambi was on target again before Granit Xhaka confirmed a big win by rolling in a penalty. Switzerland is now placed second in the group tied with co-hosts Canada with 4 points while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar are placed third and fourth respectively with a point a piece.

Switzerland will face Canada in their final group B match on June 24^th while Bosnia will be up against Qatar.