PHILADELPHIA. The crowd was told to take cover at half-time between France and Iraq.
The second half will be postponed for over an hour.
There have been some weather warnings in various places during the WC in North America. But in the past, the weather has not caused such big problems as it did at Philadelphia Stadium around midnight, Swedish time.
With about ten minutes left in the first half, the heavens opened. Both the players and the spectators who were not under cover were sullen when the half-time break came.
During the break, there was a thunderstorm warning and the spectators who were not under cover were asked to seek shelter inside the arena due to the risks that the thunder entails.
The half-time break will be at least an hour and a half long and will start at 01:30 at the earliest, Swedish time according to French RMC Sports.
“It’s been nice weather”
At halftime, Sportbladet spoke to a couple of spectators who had prepared well with rain gear. They were surprised that it took so long for the WC to be affected by the unreliable summer weather.
– The weather has been so nice and suddenly this happens, says Nancy.
Her husband Mark is prepared for a long match if the storm lasts long.
– We might be here until two in the morning, he says.
According to local rules, the match must always be stopped for at least half an hour if there is a lightning strike within eight miles (about 13 kilometers) of the arena.
Mbappé goalscorer
France lead 1-0 at half-time.
Kylian Mbappé scored the 15th World Cup goal of his career when he thumped in the lead with the wrong foot, his left foot, from outside the penalty area. In doing so, he tied the Brazilian Ronaldo as the World Cup’s third-best scorer ever.
Follow our live reporting here!
