NEW YORK (Kashmir English): In the FIFA World Cup Group I match, France defeated Iraq 3-0 to advance to the knockout stage, with star player Mbappe scoring 2 goals.

The French team had a heavy lead in the match played at the Philadelphia Stadium. Star player Mbappe only got a chance to score in the 14th minute, which he did not waste.

On the other hand, the Iraqi team also tried to equalize the goal, but could not succeed.

It rained during the first half, and when halftime came, the rain intensified, and the weather deteriorated, due to which it took 2 hours and 15 minutes for the second half to start.

When the game started, Mbappe was once again seen in action and scored another goal in the 54th minute, this was his 16th goal in the World Cup overall, thus he came equal to Germany’s Miroslav Klose with 16 goals.

Ousmane Dembele scored France’s third goal in the 66th minute. France won 0-3 and qualified for the knockout stage.

Argentina beat Austria to reach World Cup knockout stage

Argentina recorded a 2-0 win over Austria in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J encounter and booked a spot in the knockout stages.

It was important for Messi, who was on par with German star Miroslav Klose on the all-time World Cup scorers’ chart prior to this match, to prove his credentials against Austria.

He did just that, as, despite failing to convert an early penalty chance, he bounced back to register his opening goal in the 38th minute to set a new record.

Austria fought hard in defense and tried to unsettle the reigning world champions, but Argentina held sway during most of the game.

Messi completed his brace and gave Argentina the winning goal in injury time, helping him to score 18 World Cup goals and set a new record by topping the all-time goalscoring table in the tournament.

This result made Argentina top the table in Group J and helped them make it through to the Round of 32, whereas Austria will try to prolong their World Cup hopes in the upcoming matches.