Norway vs France
Photography by: Kyros Morales
France arrived at the World Cup as one of the tournament favorites. Through three matches, Les Bleus have done little to suggest otherwise.
Ousmane Dembélé produced a breathtaking first-half hat trick as France dismantled Norway 4-1 on Friday night, wrapping up a flawless Group I campaign with three wins from three and reinforcing their credentials as genuine contenders for the title.
With both nations already assured of a place in the Round of 32, first place in the group was the only prize on offer. France wasted no time making sure there would be little suspense.
Kylian Mbappé nearly opened the scoring inside the opening minute, rattling the crossbar after bursting down the right. Six minutes later, he turned provider. The France captain slipped Dembélé into space, and the Ballon d'Or winner rifled a low finish across goal to give Les Bleus an early advantage.
Dembélé wasn't finished.
In the 20th minute, the Paris Saint-Germain star danced between defenders before curling a superb left-footed strike beyond goalkeeper Egil Selvik. Norway briefly responded when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back just 14 seconds after the restart, injecting life into the contest.
The momentum lasted only moments.
Just before halftime, Dembélé completed one of the finest individual displays of the tournament, calmly finishing his third goal in the 32nd minute to restore France's two-goal cushion. It marked the first first-half World Cup hat trick since Oleg Salenko's famous performance for Russia against Cameroon in 1994, while also becoming one of the fastest trebles in tournament history.
The 2025 Ballon d'Or winner has now scored four goals in three World Cup matches after entering the tournament without a goal in a major international competition.
Norway, meanwhile, opted to rotate heavily, leaving Erling Haaland among 10 regular starters on the bench with qualification already secured. Despite the changes, the Scandinavians created chances of their own. Jørgen Strand Larsen had an opportunity to reduce the deficit early in the second half after Theo Hernández conceded a penalty, but Mike Maignan comfortably denied his spot kick.
France never looked in danger after that.
Dembélé exited to a standing ovation midway through the second half before Désiré Doué capped the performance deep into stoppage time, heading home his first World Cup goal to complete the 4-1 scoreline.
France finishes atop Group I with nine points and 10 goals scored, setting up a Round of 32 meeting with one of the tournament's best third-place finishers. Norway also advances despite the defeat and will face Côte d'Ivoire.
If the group stage was intended to reveal contenders, France made its statement emphatically. With Mbappé orchestrating attacks, Dembélé in scintillating form and an attack capable of overwhelming opponents in waves, Les Bleus enter the knockout rounds looking every bit like a team built for another deep World Cup run.
