Time for me to sign off. Thanks for your company and correspondence. When I was handed this game, I wondered if there would be a single email. In the event, with Mbappé on fire and lightning giving us the longest half-time in history, there have been hundreds.
Apologies if I didn’t get to yours. And all the best to the Peeler family, who sent several emails and inspired one more. “John Peeler,” wrote Nick. “Real name presumably John Ravenscrofter?”
If you’re still hungry for more, England are playing tomorrow (ie tonight) and we have David Hytner reporting from the camp.
So Iraq lose again, for the sixth time in six World Cup matches. They were good in parts, with Ali al-Hamadi and Zidane Iqbal standing out, but they never really bothered Mike Maignan. At the other end, France had 19 shots and about that many moments of brilliance. They are a hell of a team.