France stormed to the top of Group I with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway on the early hours of Friday, as Ousmane Dembele struck a sensational first-half hat-trick inside 32 minutes before Desire Doue added a late fourth to complete another emphatic World Cup statement.
With Norway already through to the Round of 32, head coach Stale Solbakken rested several regular starters, including Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, neither of whom came off the bench. France, by contrast, named nearly a full-strength side and quickly justified the decision of keeping the leading players on the pitch.ย
Dembele set the tone with an early breakthrough before doubling France’s advantage with another composed finish after being released by Kylian Mbappe. Norway briefly threatened a response when Thelo Aasgaard drove forward and finished confidently to reduce the deficit, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished before half-time.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot to curl home his third goal of the evening. With the hat-trick, he became the first player since 1994 to score three in the first half itself. It was the fastest hat-trick by a French player in FIFA World Cup history.ย
It was also the second fastest hat-trick in the tournamentโs history. Austria’s Erich Probst scored the fastest hat-trick 72 years earlier, when he scored three in just 24 minutes against Czechoslovakia.ย
Strand Larsen missed penalty in second half
Norway had an opportunity to narrow the margin after the restart, but Jorgen Strand Larsen failed to convert from the penalty spot as France goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a comfortable save. France remained in control despite easing their tempo after the break and were rewarded again when Doue found the net late in the contest to seal a convincing victory.
The result completed a perfect group-stage campaign for France, who finished with three wins from three matches and reinforced their credentials as one of the favourites for the title. Norway, despite the defeat, progressed to the knockout stage after opting to prioritise player freshness, with Haaland and Odegaard preserved for the Round of 32. France will now face one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams, while Norway take on Ivory Coast in the next round.
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