Ousmane Dembélé produced a decisive second-half performance as France defeated Iraq 3-0 in a weather-disrupted World Cup Group I encounter in Philadelphia, securing their place in the knockout stage. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner scored his first career goal at a major tournament and created another for Kylian Mbappé, prompting manager Didier Deschamps to challenge his media critics.
The fixture suffered a lengthy interruption at half-time after torrential rain and a thunderstorm warning hit Lincoln Financial Field, with France leading 1-0 through Mbappé’s opener assisted by Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise. Play resumed after a delay of at least 15 minutes, allowing Les Bleus to add two further goals and seal a comfortable victory that guarantees their progression with one group match remaining.
Dembélé answers critics
Dembélé, who faced scrutiny following France’s opening 3-1 win over Senegal, proved instrumental after the restart. He intercepted a miscontrolled touch from Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil to create Mbappé’s second goal of the match, before converting a one-on-one chance himself ten minutes later from Olise’s assist.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s display drew a pointed response from Deschamps, who is managing in his final international tournament. Maybe now you [journalists] will get off his case now and find another target,
Deschamps stated post-match. There haven’t been any issues with him, he’s just adapting to a system he’s not used to playing in during the rest of the year.
Deschamps reaffirmed his faith in the 27-year-old, adding: He has my confidence and he knows it. He’s not the kind of player who doubts himself, but it’s important that he did what he did today because he’s a decisive player.
Tactical rotation
The France manager made three changes to the side that defeated Senegal, handing starts to AS Roma midfielder Manu Koné in place of the unavailable Aurélien Tchouaméni, who missed training prior to the fixture. Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola replaced Désiré Doué on the left flank, while Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne came into the defence. Reports differed on whether Digne replaced Lucas or Théo Hernandez at left-back.
Olise retained his place after winning man-of-the-match honours against Senegal, partnering Bayern Munich teammate Dayot Upamecano in the starting eleven. The playmaker provided two assists during the match, operating in the No. 10 role that pushed Dembélé to the right wing.
Group I implications
The victory leaves France on the brink of securing top spot in Group I, having opened their campaign with a 3-1 defeat of Senegal. Iraq, who suffered a 4-1 loss to Norway in their opener despite a spectacular strike from Aymen Hussein, face elimination following their second consecutive defeat.
Heavy rain began falling around the 35th minute in Philadelphia, with authorities issuing a thunderstorm warning that forced spectators to seek shelter. The inclement weather delayed the second half by at least 15 minutes, though France maintained their momentum upon resumption to cruise to victory.