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GOAL | Mark Doyle | Jun 23, 2026 09:11+08:00
France player ratings vs Iraq: Kylian Mbappe is coming for Lionel Messi! Real Madrid superstar bags another brace in World Cup Golden Boot race but Ousmane Dembele is finally off the mark thanks to assist machine Michael Olise
Player ratings | World Cup | France | K. Mbappe | FEATURES | France vs Iraq | Iraq | D. Deschamps | O. Dembele | M. Olise
Kylian Mbappe bagged his second consecutive brace as France made it two wins from two at the 2026 World Cup by beating Iraq 3-0 on Monday evening. After watching Lionel Messi score twice against Austria earlier in the evening, Mbappe did likewise during a storm-delayed Group I encounter in Philadelphia, meaning he remains one goal behind his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate in this year's Golden Boot race, and two off the Argentine's overall tournament tally of 18.
Mbappe broke the deadlock with a fine strike from the edge of the box but France flattered to deceive for the remainder of the first half and started the second sluggishly, perhaps due to the two-hour suspension of play. However, Les Bleus were gifted a second goal in the 54th minute when Iraq made an absolute mess of a short goal-kick, allowing Dembele to square for Mbappe to score.
France's formidable forwards suddenly came back to life and the impressive Olise slipped Dembele through in the 66th minute for what was the Ballon d'Or winner's first ever goal at a World Cup. Mbappe went close to adding to his tally in the closing stages but there was to be no hat-trick for the Real Madrid superstar, who exited to a standing ovation in the dying minutes of the game.
Below, GOAL ranks all of the France players on show as Didier Deschamps' side clinched a place in the round of 32 ahead of their group-decider against Erling Haaland's Norway on Friday...
AFP Goalkeeper & Defence
Mike Maignan (6/10): The AC Milan goalkeeper had absolutely nothing to do.
Jules Kounde (6/10): Made a couple of defensive errors but was able to spend the majority of the game driving forward.
Dayot Upamecano (6/10): A really comfortable evening for the Bayern Munich centre-back, who cruised through the game.
William Saliba (5/10): Barely broke sweat until completely losing Ali Al-Hamadi in the area and was lucky that the No.9 couldn't quite get enough on the ball to score.
Lucas Digne (6/10): Looked to support Barcola down the left-hand side whenever he could, while he also did well to put off Al-Hamadi when he got away from Saliba.
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AFP Midfield
Manu Kone (6/10): Replaced Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield and showed impressive strength and anticipation in repeatedly breaking up Iraqi attacks.
Adrien Rabiot (6/10): The AC Milan man's passing was almost flawless and he also nearly scored with a header shortly after the hour mark.
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Michael Olise (8/10): If he's a little lucky to be credited with an assist for playing a simple, first-time ball back to Mbappe on the corner of the Iraqi box, there was nothing fortunate about his lovely through-ball for Dembele to score. Also deserved better when his delightful dinked effort came back off the crossbar.
Ousmane Dembele (8/10): Demonstrated good anticipation to pounce on a misplaced pass in the area to tee up Mbappe for a tap-in before finally getting his first goal at a major international tournament with a confident finish.
Bradley Barcola (6/10): Showed off his pace and silky skills but there was no end product from the Paris Saint-Germain winger.
Kylian Mbappe (8/10): Broke the deadlock from distance with a thumping strike before rolling in a second goal thanks to Dembele's unselfishness.
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Subs & Manager
Rayan Cherki (6/10): Came on midway through the second half for Olise.
Desire Doue (6/10): Replaced his PSG team-mate Dembele on the right wing.
Malo Gusto (N/A): Took over at right-back from Kounde with less than 10 minutes to go.
Maghnes Akliouche (N/A): Part of a late double-substitution with Gusto, with the Monaco ace coming on for Barcola.
Marcus Thuram (N/A): Thrown on for Mbappe with just seconds to go.
Didier Deschamps (7/10): After making a blistering start, France were actually starting to look a little predictable before being gifted a second goal. Deschamps will, thus, be delighted that Ousmane Dembele got off the mark - and thanks to another assist from Olise. The midfield balance still doesn't look quite right but France clearly have the most formidable forward line in the whole competition.