BOSTON, United States — Ousmane Dembélé unleashed a stunning first-half hat-trick as France dismantled a heavily rotated Norway side 4-1 at the Boston Stadium on Friday night to finish their 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage campaign with a perfect record.
The convincing victory seals top spot in Group I for the former world champions, who advance to the Round of 32 with a maximum nine points. Despite the heavy defeat, Norway also progress to the knockout phase as group runners-up.
Okay News sports reports that with qualification already secured for both nations, Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken opted to make 10 tactical changes to his starting lineup, leaving star forwards Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard as unused substitutes on the bench. The structural gamble backfired early against a full-strength French frontline, as Kylian Mbappé rattled the crossbar just 22 seconds after kickoff before Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a precise low drive into the bottom corner.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger doubled the advantage in the 20th minute, cutting inside on his left foot to sweep home from the edge of the penalty area. Norway responded just 79 seconds later when midfielder Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back with a clever curled finish, but Dembélé completed his historic hat-trick in the 32nd minute, exploiting defensive gaps to fire home a near carbon copy of his second goal. The feat marks only the second time in FIFA World Cup history that a player has scored a first-half hat-trick, mirroring Oleg Salenko’s 1994 record against Cameroon.
Norway squandered a major opportunity to mount a second-half comeback in the 50th minute after Oscar Bobb was brought down in the box by Theo Hernandez. However, striker Jørgen Strand Larsen saw his stuttering penalty easily kept out by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. France put the game completely out of reach in the fourth minute of stoppage time when substitute Bradley Barcola delivered an inch-perfect cross for teenage midfielder Désiré Doué to head home from close range.
With Group I concluded, France will travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday, June 30, to face a third-placed qualifier, which is projected to be Sweden. Meanwhile, Norway are scheduled to travel to Dallas, Texas, where they will face the Ivory Coast in their Round of 32 knockout fixture.
