Top favorite France, propelled by a blistering hat-trick from Ousmane Dembele, overwhelmed a Norwegian reserve squad missing Erling Haaland and secured their position as group winners, potentially setting them up for a match against Germany in the Round of 16.
The outstanding World Player of the Year (7th, 20th, 32nd minutes) fueled the dream of a third title in an entertaining 4-1 (3-1) victory. National coach Didier Deschamps was absent, having traveled home for his mother’s funeral.
Dembele scored from similar positions against the Norwegians, who had made almost a complete overhaul following a radical rotation. His feat marked the second-earliest hat-trick in World Cup history, surpassed only by Austria’s Ernst Probst in 1954, who took 24 minutes. The last time a player scored three goals in a single World Cup half was in 1998 by Argentinian legendary striker Gabriel Batistuta. Dembele also became only the third Frenchman to score three goals in a World Cup match, following Just Fontaine (twice) and Kylian Mbappe, who shone as a double assist provider on this occasion.
Thelo Aasgaard (21st minute) pulled one back for Norway. Jörgen Strand Larsen (50th minute) failed to convert a penalty, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan making the save. Fifteen minutes later, Dembele was substituted to applause, and Desire Doue (90th+4 minute) sealed the victory.
The vice-world champions celebrated their second flawless group stage, mirroring their first World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998. France will now face a third-placed team in East Rutherford on Tuesday, while Norway will play Ivory Coast in Dallas.
Both teams had already qualified for the knockout stage. Norway coach Stale Solbakken therefore changed his starting eleven in ten positions, with superstar Haaland also benched. Despite this, the traveling fans created atmosphere with synchronized ‘rowing’ motions.
The tragic news for Deschamps had cast a shadow over the anticipation for this top Group I match. Assistant coach Guy Stephan deputized for the 57-year-old on the sidelines, with the head coach expected back on Saturday. «It’s a difficult time for us,» midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni had said: «Our goal is to make him as proud as possible.»
Stephan made only four changes, trusting his magical trio of Mbappe, Michael Olise, and Dembele, while his counterpart prioritized player load management. Only Fredrik Aursnes remained from the starting lineup of the first two games, and Dortmund player Julian Ryerson was absent due to injury.
Mbappe almost made a lightning start against the disorganized Norwegian defense. After 21 seconds, his shot hit the crossbar. Goalkeeper Egil Selvik was powerless against Dembele after an exceptionally beautiful diagonal ball from Mbappe.
Norway struggled to cope with the pace of the high-speed offensive, but the, at times, newly formed French defense also defended loosely. It was a rapid exchange: again assisted by Mbappe, Dembele scored, this time curling the ball with his left foot into the far corner.
France was likely still celebrating mentally when the response came. Aasgaard caught Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano off guard and successfully shot. But Dembele was unstoppable – and celebrated again after his shot into the far corner.