France underlined their FIFA World Cup title credentials with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway on Thursday, as Ousmane Dembélé produced a breathtaking hat-trick to secure a flawless group-stage campaign for Les Bleus.
The emphatic victory saw France win all three of their group matches at a FIFA World Cup for the first time since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1998, while Dembélé etched his name into tournament history with the second-fastest hat-trick ever scored at the global showpiece.
With both nations already through to the knockout stage, top spot in the group was the only prize on offer in Boston. Much of the pre-match hype focused on a potential showdown between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, but Norway left Haaland on the bench throughout after making 10 changes to their starting lineup.
Also read: Thousands seek way out as South Africa braces for anti-immigrant protests
Instead, it was Dembélé who stole the headlines.
France almost made the perfect start when Mbappé rattled the crossbar inside the opening minute. Moments later, the Real Madrid star turned provider, releasing Dembélé with a superb crossfield pass before the winger cut inside and curled a trademark left-footed finish into the far corner.
Dembélé doubled France’s advantage with an even more spectacular strike from outside the penalty area before completing his memorable hat-trick in the 32nd minute with another clinical finish beyond goalkeeper Egil Selvik.
Having broken his World Cup scoring drought against Iraq earlier in the tournament, Dembélé has now netted four goals in two matches, confirming his status as one of the competition’s most lethal attacking threats.
Norway briefly threatened a comeback despite France’s dominance.
Jørgen Strand Larsen first fired over from close range before Theo Aasgaard pulled one back immediately after France’s second goal, beating Mike Maignan with a well-taken finish after a clever dummy.
The Norwegians were handed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit shortly after halftime when Theo Hernandez fouled Oscar Bobb inside the penalty area. However, Strand Larsen’s spot-kick lacked conviction and was comfortably saved by Maignan.
France remained in complete control and capped a superb performance deep into stoppage time when Désiré Doué scored his first FIFA World Cup goal to complete an impressive 4-1 victory.
With assistant coach Guy Stéphan leading the team in the absence of Didier Deschamps, Les Bleus head into the knockout rounds brimming with confidence, momentum, and attacking firepower after producing one of the standout performances of the tournament so far.