Ousmane Dembélé scored his first tournament goal for France in their 3-0 victory over Iraq, a match interrupted by thunderstorms but ultimately straightforward for the two-time world champions. The win sets up a clash with Norway on Friday to decide top spot in Group I, though Norway striker Erling Haaland conceded defeat before the game, 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.”
Dembélé breaks his tournament duck
Dembélé, who had gone 19 tournament appearances without a goal, finally opened his account with a second-half strike. He converted a smooth assist from Michael Olise, shooting across Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil after finding separation in the box. Earlier, he had set up Kylian Mbappé’s goal by stealing the ball during an Iraq defensive error and squaring simply. France head coach Didier Deschamps praised Dembélé’s performance, saying: “There is no issue with Ousmane, he has had to readapt to a system he doesn’t play all year. 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. He’s a decisive player, so is Kylian, but Ousmane has that capacity.”
After being shifted from the No 10 role against Senegal, Dembélé stayed on the right side of France’s attacking four for the entire match against Iraq. He had 67 touches, created three chances, made four passes in the final third, and recovered the ball three times. In most metrics, his performance matched or exceeded that of Olise and Bradley Barcola on the left flank. Defender Jules Koundé, who partners Dembélé on the right, said: “I think he played a very good match. 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. But it’s above all a collective performance. I know [the media have] focused a lot on Ousmane these last few days, but on our side, as Kylian said, there’s no problem. On the contrary, I think Ousmane was very calm.”
France’s attacking dominance and defensive concerns
Les Bleus have created nine big chances in their first two games, and have regained the ball 47 times in the opponent’s defensive third, the second highest total in the tournament behind Spain. Deschamps rotated his squad against Iraq, bringing in Barcola, Manu Koné, and Lucas Digne, with Koné impressing in place of Aurélien Tchouaméni. The team appears unified, with none of the traditional discord that has sometimes plagued French camps. However, the 3-0 win was France’s first clean sheet in seven matches. Iraq had chances, including Ali al-Hamadi’s effort that beat Mike Maignan but missed by inches, and generated 0.63 xG overall. France’s attacking full-backs leave space in the channels, a vulnerability that better opponents could exploit.
The Norway game will provide a stiffer test. France’s attacking quartet of Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise, and Barcola has clicked, but the defense remains unproven. There is also a mental challenge: dominance can lead to complacency, a factor in France’s knockout defeat to Switzerland at Euro 2020. As Deschamps’ side prepares for Norway, they must balance their attacking flair with defensive solidity to avoid a similar upset.
