Ousmane Dembélé scored a sensational first-half hat-trick as France cruised to a 4-1 victory over Norway to finish top of Group I and book their place in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as group winners.
Les Bleus produced a dominant display from the opening whistle, controlling 71 per cent possession and dictating the tempo throughout the first half while denying Norway any meaningful opportunity to build attacking momentum.
France took the lead in the seventh minute when Dembélé latched onto a pass from captain Kylian Mbappé before firing a close-range effort into the left corner of the net.
The Barcelona winger doubled France’s advantage in the 20th minute, once again finishing clinically after another assist from Mbappé to complete his brace within the opening quarter of the match.
Norway responded almost immediately as Thelo Aasgaard reduced the deficit a minute later, converting Andreas Schjelderup’s pass to make it 2-1.
However, France restored their two-goal cushion in the 32nd minute when Dembélé completed his hat-trick with a composed finish from Aurélien Tchouaméni’s assist, taking his senior international goal tally to nine.
Norway had a golden opportunity to get back into the contest early in the second half after being awarded a penalty following a foul on Oscar Bobb inside the box.
But Jørgen Strand Larsen failed to convert from the spot, missing the target in the 48th minute.
Substitute Désiré Doué put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time, heading home France’s fourth goal to cap an impressive performance.
The victory ensured France finished as Group I winners and progressed to the knockout stage with maximum confidence.
Despite the defeat, Norway also advanced to the Round of 32 after securing second place in the group, having already guaranteed qualification with victories over Iraq and Senegal in their opening two matches.
