France vs Iraq 3:0 — A Mbappé Brace and Total Control

Kylian Mbappe's brace either side of the hour mark did most of the damage, but the real story of France's 3-0 win over Iraq is a shot count so lopsided — nineteen to four — that the only surprise is Iraq conceded just three.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute and added a second in the 54th, sandwiching a France performance that generated 2.67 expected goals against Iraq's 0.63. Ousmane Dembele completed the scoring in the 66th, by which point the match had long stopped looking competitive by any underlying measure.

Nineteen Shots To Four Is About As One-Sided As It Gets

France's shot count, twelve of nineteen attempts from inside the box, dwarfed Iraq's four attempts all match — none of which found the target. Iraq's goalkeeper faced two shots on target across the full ninety minutes and still finished with two saves, a reflection of just how few clean opportunities Iraq managed to generate for their opponent to convert.

Fifty-Six Percent Possession Barely Captures The Gap

France's 603 passes against Iraq's 481 suggest a competitive possession battle, but the underlying shot and chance-creation numbers tell a far more one-sided story. Territorial parity in passing terms simply didn't translate into anything resembling parity in the final third.

Iraq's Bench Made Five Changes Chasing A Way Back In

Iraq's coaching staff made wholesale changes across the 26th, 60th, 68th and 69th minutes, reshuffling personnel in search of any foothold in the match. None of the changes meaningfully altered the shot count or the underlying picture — France continued to generate chances at the same rate throughout.

A Single Booking Kept Discipline Out Of The Story

Amir Al-Ammari's early yellow card for Iraq was the only caution of the match, in either direction — a reminder that this wasn't a physical battle so much as a straightforward gap in quality that never required either side to resort to rougher tactics.

Mbappe's Own Withdrawal In Stoppage Time Said It All

France withdrew Mbappe in the first minute of stoppage time, well after his job was done and with the match's outcome settled since well before the hour mark. Substituting a two-goal scorer that early is the clearest possible signal of a coaching staff managing a game already won rather than one still being fought for.

For Iraq, a 3-0 loss with just four shots and zero on target is a difficult evening to find positives in, even against a heavily favored opponent. For France, a comfortable, low-drama win with knockout qualification already secured is exactly the kind of result that lets a coaching staff manage minutes rather than chase a result.

Four Corners To Two Is A Small Coda To A Lopsided Afternoon

Even set pieces followed the same pattern as everything else in this match — France doubled Iraq's corner count, one more small marker in a performance that was one-sided by nearly every measure available, from shot volume to shot location to final-third possession.

Dembele's Goal Came From The Bench Rotation, Not A Fresh Start

France's substitutions in the 68th and 83rd minutes were about managing a game already won rather than searching for a way back into one — Dembele scored before his own withdrawal, capping a night where every change France made simply extended a lead that was never seriously threatened. Iraq's single yellow card, picked up inside the first six minutes, ended up being the only disciplinary note in a match that settled quickly into one-way traffic.