France defeated Norway 4-1 in a World Cup 2026 group stage match, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring a hat-trick. The victory allowed France to finish the group stage as winners with nine points, having scored 10 goals in three games. Norway, despite the loss, advanced to the next round in second place with six points.
The match, held at Boston Stadium, saw Dembélé open the scoring in the seventh minute. He added another goal in the 20th minute, and after Thelo Aasgaard scored for Norway, Dembélé completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute. Desire Doue sealed the 4-1 win for France with a late goal.
Dembélé’s impactful performance
Dembélé’s hat-trick was a significant moment in the tournament. He scored his second goal by cutting infield and curling a low shot into the far corner. His third goal was also curled into the same bottom corner from inside the area. This performance brings his tournament total to four goals, having also scored in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq on Monday.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s display may alleviate some of the pressure on captain Kylian Mbappé to be the sole match-winner for France. Mbappé, who played in the match, provided a pass that led to Dembélé’s opening goal. Dembélé, a teammate of Mbappé in the France team that won the 2018 World Cup, was positioned wider on the right in this game, a tactical adjustment that proved effective.
Dembélé’s hat-trick in the first half was achieved in 25 minutes. While not the fastest in World Cup history, it places him in notable company, as previous French hat-tricks at the tournament were scored by Just Fontaine and Mbappé.
Team selections and upcoming fixtures
Norway’s coach, Stale Solbakken, made 10 changes to his starting lineup for the match against France. Key players such as Erling Haaland, captain Martin Odegaard, and striker Alexander Sorloth were rested. Benfica’s Fredrik Aursnes was the only player retained from their previous match against Senegal.
For France, Arsenal defender William Saliba was rested due to a sore back, with Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace taking his place. Doue, Theo Hernandez, and Aurelien Tchouameni all returned to the squad. The match was played without France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, who had returned to France for his mother’s funeral. Assistant coach Guy Stephan stated that the team’s thoughts were with Deschamps, who is expected to rejoin the squad on Saturday.
In the second half, Norway had an opportunity to score from a penalty after Oscar Bobb was fouled by Hernandez. However, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s spot-kick was saved by France’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan. Norway’s progress to the next round was already secured before this game, following victories over Iraq and Senegal.
France will remain in the northeastern United States for their last-32 tie, which will be played against a third-place finisher at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday. Norway will travel to Dallas to face Ivory Coast in their next match, also scheduled for next Tuesday.
Other Group I developments
In another Group I fixture, Senegal secured a 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq. Pape Gueye scored two goals, and Ismaila Sarr added his third goal of the tournament. Habib Diarra opened the scoring, and Iliman Ndiaye concluded the scoring for Senegal. This win helped Senegal secure a third-place group finish, and they are now vying for one of the eight third-place spots in the round of 32.
Iraq was eliminated from their second World Cup. Senegal currently holds the fifth-best record among third-place sides based on their goal differential.
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Source: aljazeera.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter