Ousmane Dembélé scored his first goal at a major tournament on his 20th attempt as France overcame a two-hour weather delay to defeat Iraq in Philadelphia. The victory secured France’s place in the World Cup knockout stages and sets up a winner-takes-all clash with Norway in Boston on Friday.
The match was suspended midway through due to thunderstorms over Lincoln Financial Field, but Les Bleus maintained their focus after the restart. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, while Michael Olise contributed two assists during a dominant display that earned France their first clean sheet in seven matches.
Dembélé Answers Critics
The Paris Saint-Germain forward had faced scrutiny over his role in Didier Deschamps’ system, having been shifted from his preferred number ten position during the tournament. Dembélé opened his account shortly after the interval, separating from defenders to convert Olise’s delivery across Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. He had already supplied a simple assist for Mbappé’s first goal after dispossessing the Iraqi defence.
Deschamps defended his attacker’s adaptation to national team duties. “There is no issue with Ousmane, he has had to readapt to a system he doesn’t play all year,” the France manager said. “As long as Ousmane is well physically, it’s just fine-tuning. I trust in Ousmane, he knows that, and doing what he did today was important.”
Jules Koundé, who has developed an understanding with Dembélé down France’s right flank, praised his colleague’s mentality. “I think he played a very good match,” Koundé said. “He’s someone who is naturally confident. I’m just happy for him that he was able to score that first goal and overall be decisive.”
Group I Decider Looms
France will face Norway at Gillette Stadium with top spot in Group I at stake. Norway striker Erling Haaland has already acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead, telling Fox: “Honestly I don’t care that much. They’re probably going to win against us. They’re probably going to win the whole tournament.”
Despite Haaland’s comments, Deschamps will be aware that sterner tests await. Iraq created opportunities against the French defence, with Ali al-Hamadi coming close to scoring in the second half. Iraq head coach Graham Arnold claimed France were “not an effective pressing team,” though statistics show Les Bleus have regained possession 47 times in the opponent’s defensive third—second only to Spain at the tournament.
France’s high defensive line and attacking full-backs left space in the channels that Iraq occasionally exploited. The clean sheet was welcome—ending a run of six games without one—but Les Bleus have conceded chances in both group matches.
Deschamps rotated his squad effectively against Iraq, with Manu Koné impressing as he deputised for the suspended Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield. With nine big chances created across their opening two fixtures, the attacking quartet of Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise and Bradley Barcola have clicked, yet the defence remains untested against elite opposition.
The winner of Friday’s encounter will secure a potentially more favourable path through the knockout stages. Deschamps will hope his team’s attacking rhythm, combined with Dembélé’s restored confidence, proves sufficient to overcome Haaland’s Norway and confirm their status as tournament favourites.