2026 World Cup: Flawless France ease past Norway

France made it three wins from three games as  Ousmane Dembele shone with a hat-trick in a convincing 4-1 win over Norway to finish top of Group I.

Dembele scored one of the earliest hat-tricks in World Cup history as the Ballon d’Or winner starred in France’s 4-1 win.

Dembele opened the scoring in the seventh minute at the Boston Stadium on Friday, struck again on 20 minutes and, after Thelo Aasgaard had pulled one back, he made it 3-1 in the 32nd minute.

Desire Doue completed the scoring late on, and the victory allowed France to end the group stage with the maximum nine points – they have scored 10 goals in three games and advance as Group I winners.

Norway, who also saw Jorgen Strand Larsen have a penalty saved, go through in second place with six points, their progress already having been secured before this game thanks to wins over Iraq and Senegal.

France will now stay in the northeastern United States for a last-32 tie against a third-place finisher at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday.

Dembele moves on to four goals at the tournament after also scoring in the 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday, and his display here will perhaps ease some of the pressure on captain Kylian Mbappe to always be France’s match-winner

Andrews Sefa Bamfo

Andrews Sefa Bamfo is a promising young football writer and reporter, recognised as one of the rising talents in African football journalism. He specialises in match reporting, features and on-ground coverage, bringing fresh perspective and energy to the industry.He is educated at the University of Ghana and has gained valuable experience working with one of Ghana’s leading media organisations, TV3, where he developed his skills in both television reporting and football journalism.Andrews’ talent and potential were further recognised when he was selected for the prestigious CAF Young Reporters Programme, where he received advanced media training in partnership with CANAL+. This exposure has helped shape his understanding of modern sports journalism and storytelling.Since then, he has continued to grow in the field and is widely regarded as one of the emerging voices in African football media. He is currently a Staff Writer at African.Football, contributing to the platform’s coverage with insightful reports and engaging content for a global audience.

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