France's Embarrassment of Riches on Full Display as Dembele Steps Into the Spotlight

The question hanging over France's World Cup campaign—are they better than 2018?—received another emphatic answer on Monday, courtesy of an Iraqi side that crumbled under relentless French attacking pressure following a weather delay of nearly two hours.

Ousmane Dembele, arriving in the United States as the Ballon d'Or holder, made a statement that cut through the noise. After drawing criticism in some French quarters for appearing peripheral during the opening 3-1 victory over Senegal, the Paris Saint-Germain winger seized his moment with both hands. He teed up Kylian Mbappe's second goal after pouncing on sloppy Iraqi defending, then finished clinically with his right foot after being released by Michael Olise.

The timing of Dembele's display proved significant. Mbappe had publicly vouched for his teammate the previous day, arguing the winger had been France's most influential attacker in the first half against Senegal and that his intelligent movement had created space for others to exploit. When Mbappe doubled the lead on Monday, his celebration told the real story—rather than savour another World Cup goal, he immediately pointed to Dembele in what amounted to a deliberate show of solidarity.

This is what separates France from the chasing pack. While Lionel Messi continues shouldering Argentina's scoring burden almost single-handedly, Deschamps' outfit possess the luxury of interchangeable excellence. Mbappe, now on 16 World Cup goals, provided the clinical finishing. Olise orchestrated the tempo and creativity between the lines, only denied a goal when his audacious lob struck the crossbar. Dembele supplied the craft and cutting edge.

The bench offers little comfort to opponents. Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki both injected fresh energy when introduced, whilst Bradley Barcola—who started here instead of Doue—had already made an impact off the bench against Senegal. Even Marcus Thuram, boasting 13 goals and six assists for Inter Milan in Serie A this season, watched from the sidelines.

France sit on six points from two games in Group I and are already through to the knockout rounds. But the broader implication is more unsettling still: few nations can name a single elite match-winner. France can rattle off half a dozen without breaking a sweat. Tomorrow's villain could easily be today's hero, and that rotation of talent represents a genuine headache for anyone standing in their way.