France forward Ousmane Dembélé finally found his groove in the 3-0 win over Iraq at the World Cup in New York on Monday, underlining the embarrassment of attacking riches at the country’s disposal.The result reinforced the sense that Didier Deschamps’ side may be even more dangerous than France’s 2018 champions or their team that reached the final four years ago.While Lionel Messi continues to carry much of Argentina’s scoring burden, France are discovering that almost any member of their formidable forward line can seize the spotlight.In their 3-1 win over Senegal in their opening game, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé stole the show.On Monday, with Iraq collapsing under France’s relentless movement and pressing after a nearly two-hour weather delay, Dembélé reminded everyone why he arrived in the US as the Ballon d’Or holder.The Paris St Germain forward set up Mbappé’s second goal after pouncing on a dreadful Iraqi defensive error before getting on the scoresheet himself with a clinical right-foot finish after being released by Olise.Dembélé’s contribution was all the more significant because his performance against Senegal had attracted scrutiny in France, where some pundits suggested he looked less influential than his attacking teammates.Mbappé, who opened the scoring with a long-range shot, had publicly defended Dembélé on Sunday, insisting the winger had been France’s best attacker in the first half against Senegal and that his movement created the space others exploited.Mbappé’s celebration after doubling France’s lead on Monday spoke volumes. Rather than basking in another World Cup goal, he immediately pointed towards Dembele, whose alertness and assist had made it possible, in what looked like a deliberate endorsement of his teammate and friend.The understanding between France’s attackers was again evident throughout. Olise orchestrated much of the danger between the lines and was unlucky not to score when his audacious lob struck the crossbar in the second half.Mbappé remained the finisher, taking his World Cup tally to 16 goals, while Dembele supplied craft and end product.Perhaps the most ominous aspect for France’s rivals is that the cavalry remains in reserve.Desire Doué, one of Europe’s brightest talents, and Rayan Cherki both came off the bench, adding fresh energy and invention to an attack that already looked overwhelming for long spells. Bradley Barcola, who started in place of Doue, had scored after coming on as a substitute against Senegal.The result leaves France with six points from two games in Group I and through to the knockout rounds, but it also raises a broader question for the rest of the field.On a day when Dembélé flourished, Mbappé scored twice and Olisé dazzled once again, the frightening reality for opponents is that next time it could just as easily be Cherki, Doué or Barcola taking centre stage.Marcus Thuram, with 13 goals and six assists in Serie A with Inter Milan this season, was watching from the bench.Mbappé scored twice as France secured their place in the knockout rounds after a thunderstorm delay turned the Group I clash into an almost four-hour affair.Mbappé, who now sits two goals (16) behind Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list, struck either side of the interval before Dembélé got on the scoresheet as France maintained their perfect start to the tournament and moved on to six points.The second half began after a delay of almost two hours because of thunderstorms and lightning in the Philadelphia area.France conclude their group stage campaign against Norway in Boston on Friday.Also on Monday (early hours of Tuesday SA time) in Group I, Erling Haaland scored twice in New Jersey for the second successive match as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 to move level with France on six points.Norway went ahead in the 43rd minute when Kalidou Koulibaly misjudged a clearance and substitute Marcus Pedersen drove into the box and beat Edouard Mendy with a firm shot.Haaland struck the post before halftime but doubled the lead three minutes after the restart, running on to Martin Odegaard’s through ball and rifling into the top corner.Ismaila Sarr pulled one back in the 53rd after Sadio Mané’s neat pass split the defence, yet Senegal failed to clear again five minutes later and Patrick Berg teed up Haaland to volley in off the crossbar.Sarr struck his second deep into added time but Norway held on to set up a mouth-watering group decider against France on Friday.In Group J, after Messi’s record-breaking brace saw Argentina beat Austria 2-0, Algeria fought back from a goal down to beat Jordan 2-1, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds and condemning their opponents to an early exit.All the World Cup fixtures hereWorld Cup page hereAll the group profiles hereStar player profiles hereBafana news here