Ousmane Dembélé scored a first-half hat-trick as France beat Norway 4-1 in Boston to seal top spot in World Cup Group I. The Paris Saint-Germain forward struck three times before the interval to settle the contest against a depleted Norwegian side, with Désiré Doué adding a fourth in stoppage time.
The victory at Boston Stadium confirms France will contest their round-of-32 tie in New Jersey, while Norway must travel to Texas for their next match against Côte d’Ivoire. The result capped an emotional week for the French squad, who played without head coach Didier Deschamps following his return to France for his mother’s funeral. Assistant Guy Stéphan assumed touchline duties, though FIFA denied the team’s request to wear mourning armbands during the match.
Norway rotate heavily
Norway manager Stale Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting line-up, resting Erling Haaland and several other key players ahead of the knockout stages. The decision left the Nordic side vulnerable against a potent French attack, though they did manage a consolation through Thelo Aasgaard immediately after France’s second goal.
Les Bleus signalled their intent within 20 seconds when captain Kylian Mbappé struck the crossbar after a pass from Dembélé. The Ballon d’Or recipient then opened the scoring after six minutes, cutting inside from the right to curl a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Egil Selvik. He repeated the feat twice more from similar positions to complete his treble by the 32nd minute, with Mbappé providing assists for the first two goals.
Maignan spot-kick save preserves cushion
Despite their attacking fluency, France showed defensive fragility. Norway threatened a comeback when Aasgaard finished calmly following Andreas Schjelderup’s assist immediately after France doubled their lead. The French backline remained shaky after the restart, with Dayot Upamecano struggling under pressure and Theo Hernandez conceding a penalty for a foul on Oscar Bobb.
Mike Maignan dived correctly to keep out Jørgen Strand Larsen’s effort from the spot, maintaining France’s two-goal advantage. Les Bleus introduced several substitutes in the second period, including defender Maxence Lacroix for his World Cup debut, and largely controlled proceedings without adding to their tally until the final moments. Substitute Bradley Barcola crossed from the left for Doué to head home in added time.
Knockout paths confirmed
The result ensures France avoid a potentially hazardous route through the tournament’s lower half, where Brazil, England and Argentina await. Instead, they will remain in the New Jersey area for their next fixture. Norway, meanwhile, must quickly restore their first-choice XI before facing Côte d’Ivoire, having shown signs of promise in attack but defensive vulnerability against elite opposition.
The French squad navigated the fixture without their usual manager on the bench, completing the group stage with maximum momentum despite lingering questions about their defensive solidity ahead of the knockout rounds.