France striker Ousmane Dembele finally found his rhythm in the 3-0 win over Iraq. And Dembele just proved what a formidable attack France actually has.
The result and performance reinforced the feeling that France could be even more dangerous than in 2018, when they won the title, or than the team that reached the final four years ago.
In France, any striker can score goals and be decisive, unlike Argentina, which relies almost entirely on Lionel Messi.
In France's first match, Michael Oliseh and Kylian Mbappe grabbed the spotlight. On Monday, in addition to Mbappe scoring twice, Dembele also shone, proving to everyone why he is the reigning Ballon d'Or winner.
The PSG striker had the biggest credit for Mbappe's second goal, after capitalising on an Iraqi mistake. He then scored to give France an easy victory.
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For the match against Senegal, there were assessments that Dembele did not have as much impact in attack as the others. But this theory was disproved in the match against Iraq.
Mbappe had publicly defended Dembele, insisting that he was France's best striker in the first half of the match against Senegal and that his movement created space that others exploited.
Mbappe's celebration after scoring his second goal against Iraq was telling. Rather than suffer another World Cup goal, Mbappe turned to Dembele, whose alertness was crucial.
The composure of France's forwards was again evident throughout the match. Olise orchestrated most of the danger between the lines. He was unlucky not to score, when his cross hit the crossbar. Olise finished the match with two assists.
France, like few other teams, have the luxury of keeping some very dangerous strikers on the bench. Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki came on as substitutes. They added energy and creativity to an already unstoppable attack.
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Bradley Barcola, who came on as a substitute for Doues, had scored after coming on as a substitute against Senegal.
All these players could easily decide any World Cup match. Marcus Thuram, who had a successful season at Inter, was watching from the bench the brilliance of his teammates.
