Mbappe elaborated on the specific difficulties of the nearly two-hour hiatus. The French squad had to find ways to kill time without losing the competitive edge required to break down a resilient Iraq defense once the weather cleared and play was permitted to restart.
“It was an hour and a half, almost two hours, in the locker room,” he added. “Staying focused is very difficult. It demands a lot. We made a great effort to try to stay involved. It’s very complicated, but in the end, we achieved our goal.”
