France Sweep Aside Iraq in Philadelphia

France arrived in Philadelphia with the calm of a side that knows its own strength, and by the final whistle they had confirmed it. A 3-0 victory over Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field was less a demolition than a steady accumulation, France content to work the ball across the width of the pitch and wait for the openings to appear. They came, in time, and were taken with the efficiency of a team that felt no need to hurry.

Iraq, to their credit, did not surrender the shape they had drilled into place. For long spells they defended in numbers, compressing the space in front of their goal and inviting France to find a way through the crowd. That resistance held for a while, but the weight of French possession told eventually, the first goal loosening the structure and the second and third arriving with the momentum that comes when a match tilts decisively.

The scoreline flattered neither side unfairly. France were the more purposeful throughout, moving with intent whenever they crossed the halfway line, and Iraq were left to chase a game that slipped steadily beyond them. There was no collapse, no unravelling of nerve, simply the gradual assertion of the better team over ninety minutes played in the warmth of a summer evening on the eastern seaboard.

The result leaves France well placed as the group stage unfolds, their second fixture yielding both three points and a measure of reassurance. For Iraq, the task now is one of recovery and repair, the margin against a side of France's quality proving too wide to bridge on the night. The tournament, though, still has much to offer them.