Dembélé hat-trick fires France past Norway as Deschamps misses match
World player of the year Ousmane Dembélé struck three times inside 25 minutes as France beat Norway 4-1 to top Group I, while coach Didier Deschamps missed the match following his mother’s death.
Ousmane Dembélé became only the third Frenchman to score a World Cup hat-trick, needing just 25 minutes to put three past a heavily rotated Norway side. France won 4-1, clinching Group I with a perfect record for the first time since their 1998 title run.
Dembélé runs riot
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, voted world player of the year, opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a curling shot into the far corner. He doubled the lead from 20 metres in the 20th minute and completed his treble in the 32nd minute, all from similar positions on the right. It was the second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, beaten only by Austria’s Ernst Probst in 1954 (24 minutes). Kylian Mbappé provided two assists but did not add to his four tournament goals.
- Dembélé opens the scoring with a curled finish (0-1)
- Dembélé doubles the lead from 20 metres (0-2)
- Aasgaard pulls one back for Norway (1-2)
- Dembélé completes his hat-trick (1-3)
- Larsen’s penalty saved by Maignan
- Doué scores France’s fourth in stoppage time (1-4)
Norway’s B-team
Norway had already qualified for the last 16 and coach Stale Solbakken made ten changes. Erling Haaland and captain Martin Ødegaard were among those left on the bench, deflating the pre-match billing as a clash of the group’s stars. Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back in the 21st minute, but substitute striker Jørgen Strand Larsen missed a penalty in the 50th minute, denied by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Désiré Doué added a fourth for France in stoppage time.
Deschamps absent
French head coach Didier Deschamps missed the match to attend his mother’s funeral in France. Assistant Guy Stéphan took over on the touchline. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said the squad was determined to honour their absent manager.
It is a difficult time for us. Our goal is to make him as proud as possible.
Route to the quarter-finals
France now face a third-placed team in the round of 16. Should both France and Germany win their first knockout matches, the two European giants would meet in the quarter-finals on 4 July in Philadelphia. Norway will play Ivory Coast in Dallas.
