What France & Iraq did during 'mentally draining' two-hour weather delay

France players warm-up in heavy rain in Philadelphia at the World Cup match against Iraq

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,

France are guaranteed a place in the knockout stages after winning their first two group games

ByNeil JohnstonBBC Sport journalist at Philadelphia Stadium

Published8 minutes ago

"We've been through an awful lot tonight," screamed the stadium announcer during a weather delay lasting more than two hours in the match between France and Iraq.

It was a challenging night for players, coaches - and all 68,344 fans inside Philadelphia Stadium.

A game that started at 17:00 local time finally ended at 20:47 because of safety concerns amid adverse weather conditions.

Storm clouds were already building when Canadian referee Drew Fischer blew for half-time at 17:49 with France leading 1-0.

Then came the heavy rain and a threat of thunderstorms in the area.

When it was finally deemed safe enough to resume, it was 20:00.

France, eager to make up for lost time, scored another two goals to run out 3-0 winners, with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring a double on his 100th international appearance as Les Bleus reached the last 32.

There was no hydration break in the second half, while there were just two minutes of additional time at the end.

"It was a very long evening," said Mbappe.

"We spent a lot of time waiting. It's emotionally and mentally draining because we had to stay fully focused and engaged in the dressing room.

"Staying in the dressing room for an hour and a half - almost two hours - while maintaining focus is very difficult. It demands a lot. The players made a huge effort, as did the staff."

So what did they do in the delay?

"We played cards," joked France boss Didier Deschamps.

"No, well, we were waiting. We had slots that kept being pushed forward again.

"I was actually having a good time with my players and having fun.

"It's a question of safety. You cannot fight against the rain and lightning.

"It doesn't annoy me. These are very special circumstances and I do hope they don't happen again. It was important to take no risks."

Mbappe double as France beat Iraq after two-hour delay

Image source, ReutersImage caption,

Kylian Mbappe points out waterlogged areas of the pitch to ground staff at Philadelphia Stadium

'First time I have ever experienced this'

This was the 42nd match at this World Cup - and the first stopped because of weather.

Fifa has no power to make its own rules when it comes to adverse weather, and must adhere to the advice of local authorities.

In the United States, recommendations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are used.

The NOAA says that if any lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium the game has to be stopped.

Local cable TV networks had been speculating about the weather for the past two days and how it would affect this game.

The sun was shining in Philadelphia hours before kick-off but, after the referee blew for half-time, then came the heavy downpours and threats of thunder and lightning.

During the interval the skies opened further, while spectators were told to seek shelter in the stadium concourses.

The players finally re-emerged for warm-ups about one hour and 40 minutes later, and even then the restart was delayed further as stadium personnel used squeegees to remove standing water off the pitch.

When play did finally get back under way, Iraq gifted France and Mbappe a second goal after a mistake from a goal-kick.

Iraq's Australian head coach Graham Arnold believes the long delay could have contributed to the mistake.

"I said to the players before we went out again it was a case of who switches on more mentally. The disappointing thing was the mistake hurt us," he said.

"The two-hour stoppage obviously made it much harder for the players. It's the first time I have experienced it as coach or a player."

Arnold said he used the time with his players to go through footage of the first half.

"It was more about the players sitting and relaxing and get themselves ready to go out there again. It was a unique experience for all of us."

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Figure caption,

Mbappe opens the scoring against Iraq

'We did some cycling'

Fans were ordered to seek shelter during the delay.

There were regular announcements over the speakers keeping them informed.

When the announcement was made that the weather threat had cleared, it was greeted by one of the biggest roars of the night.

The mood inside the ground has completely changed and fans, wearing ponchos to stay dry, danced in the stands.

"It was like a new match beginning after the interruption," said France defender Jules Kounde.

"We did some cycling to stay active. Then we stopped and talked while waiting to go back out and warm up.

"We all wanted to resume and finish the match. We wanted to make sure the pitch was playable because there were flooded areas."

Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, said the long break suited France.

"The big effect is maybe you planned a certain routine for the next few days that's gone now so you then have to look at the rehydration, the fuelling, food - all that sort of stuff that'll be slightly different," he said about the impact of the delay.

"Oddly enough, the break seemed to suit the French team because they came back out... and actually cruised it for the rest of the game."

What do players do during a storm delay?

Former West Ham assistant coach Edu Rubio has given an insight into what players do when there is a weather delay during a match.

Now assistant head coach at Sporting Kansas City, he explained to BBC Sport how they dealt with weather delays when West Ham played in pre-season in Florida two years ago.

"Two of our four friendly games had to be delayed because of the storms," he said.

"They are very strict with that over here - and rightly so.

"Different cultures, different coaching teams have different strategies.

"You must follow the protocols and we went back to the changing room and then they kept you updated every 20 minutes.

"What we did for the first 20 minutes was let the players relax and change into more comfortable clothes - the clothes they wear for warming-up.

"They did a little bit of cycling, stretching, some of them wanted to do yoga, and then for the next 20 minutes - because the delay was for 45 minutes - we set up some football-tennis to keep them entertained and keep their minds off the issues with the weather.

"We went through two-minute clips just to remind the players. These delays could be a pain but we kept it very simple.

"Yoga, music, a bit of relaxation. But any longer than 45 minutes, I don't know what I would do if I'm honest."