It was the second successive game in which Iraq conceded twice to one of the world’s elite forwards after Erling Haaland scored a double in Norway’s 4-1 win in the opener. | Photo Credit: AFP

Iraq coach Graham Arnold remains confident his side can still qualify for the FIFA World Cup knockout stage despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to France on Monday, insisting all focus has now shifted to a decisive final Group I clash against Senegal.

France was powered by a Kylian Mbappe brace in a match that was interrupted for more than two hours because of severe weather. It was the second successive game in which Iraq conceded twice to one of the world’s elite forwards after Erling Haaland scored a double in Norway’s 4-1 win in the opener.

Despite back-to-back defeats, Arnold believes Iraq’s hopes remain alive, with eight of the best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32.

“For me now, it’s all about Senegal,” Arnold said. “With eight third-placed teams going through, we’ve still got a chance.”

Arnold was encouraged by his team’s first-half display, even though Mbappe opened the scoring with a long-range strike. However, he felt the lengthy weather delay disrupted Iraq’s momentum, and a goal-kick error immediately after the restart allowed France to double its lead.

“There wasn’t much I could do,” Arnold said. “I showed the players a little more footage from the first half to point out where France was hurting us. Mostly, though, they just had to stay relaxed and be ready when we went back out.”

The Australian reserved special praise for Mbappe, describing the France captain as one of the game’s most difficult players to contain.

“He’s an incredible player. His speed is unstoppable,” Arnold said. “That’s why we defended a bit deeper than I normally would. If you leave space behind the defence, Mbappe will destroy you.”

Having faced both Haaland and Mbappe in successive matches, Arnold believes the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot is shaping into a fascinating contest.

“Haaland is scoring goals, Messi is scoring goals and Mbappe is scoring goals,” he said. “It’s going to be a very good competition between those three for the leading goalscorer.”

Published on Jun 23, 2026