France Head Coach: We Won an Unusual Match

Didier Deschamps said France’s 3-0 win over Iraq was a “special and unusual” game after a long weather delay turned the World Cup meeting into a stop-start contest in Philadelphia.

France had already done most of the work in the first half, according to Deschamps, before the second period became far harder to manage after the 2-hour, 12-minute interruption caused by a storm. He said restarting was not easy, but praised his side for seeing out the match and sealing qualification with two straight group wins.

“Perhaps I can be demanding at times, but I prefer that with the players I have,” Deschamps said. “I want the best performances.”

He added that the third group match will matter for the final standings. Deschamps also spoke about Ousmane Dembélé, who scored in his third World Cup, saying the forward is confident and wants to influence games. He said Dembélé is still finding rhythm physically and in his understanding with the team, but has no technical issues.