Dembélé Hat-Trick Fires France to Perfect Group I Record, 4-1

Dembélé Tears Apart a Weakened Norway Inside 32 Minutes

With both sides already assured of knockout-stage football, Norway coach Ståle Solbakken made ten changes, leaving Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard as unused substitutes.

France, by contrast, named a near full-strength attack and made their intent clear within seconds, Kylian Mbappé struck the crossbar after just 22 seconds before Dembélé opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

Dembélé struck again on 20 minutes, and despite Aasgaard pulling one back for Norway just 14 seconds after the restart of play from that goal, the Ballon d’Or winner completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute to make it 3-1.

Norway had a chance to make the second half competitive when Theo Hernandez fouled Oscar Bobb in the area, but Strand Larsen’s penalty was weak and Mike Maignan saved comfortably.

France’s backups were largely untroubled for the remainder of the half, and Dembélé was substituted off in the 65th minute having done the decisive work. Substitute Bradley Barcola then provided the cross for Désiré Doué to head home in stoppage time, wrapping up a 4-1 win that confirmed France as Group I winners with a perfect three-from-three record.

France’s victory was built on a foundation of superior organisation and individual quality on the night. The Ballon d’Or winner’s hat-trick is the first first-half treble at a World Cup since Oleg Salenko scored three before the break for Russia against Cameroon at the 1994 tournament, also on American soil. Dembélé’s tally for the tournament now stands at four, placing him joint second in the Golden Boot race.

Dembélé’s Third Goal and a Saved Penalty Killed the Contest

Mbappé’s crossbar strike in the opening 22 seconds set the tone, and Dembélé made it 1-0 in the seventh minute with a right-footed finish across goalkeeper Selvik. Aasgaard gave Norway brief hope by pulling one back 14 seconds after Dembélé’s second goal, but the hat-trick was completed in the 32nd minute to restore a two-goal cushion.

Norway’s best second-half chance came from the penalty spot after Hernandez fouled Bobb, but Strand Larsen’s spot-kick was saved by Maignan, effectively ending the contest. Doué headed home from Barcola’s cross in added time to complete the scoring.

Dembélé Delivers a Career-Defining World Cup Performance

Ousmane Dembélé was the undisputed story of the match. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, a title earned after his evolution into a central role under Luis Enrique at PSG, punished Norway’s makeshift defence three times inside 32 first-half minutes, joining Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappé as the only French players to score a World Cup hat-trick.

His first came from a Mbappé pass, cutting in and finishing right-footed across the goalkeeper; his second was struck from outside the box; and the third mirrored the second in execution. He left the pitch in the 65th minute with his work done and his tournament tally at four goals, drawing level with Mbappé in France’s own internal Golden Boot race.

France Head to the Last 32 With Momentum; Norway Face Ivory Coast

France go into the knockout round as the most in-form attacking side in the tournament, having scored three or more goals in each of their three group matches.

Deschamps will have Haaland’s potential return to full availability for Norway as a warning to keep his own defensive unit sharp, William Saliba, who missed this match with a sore back, will be closely monitored ahead of the round of 32. France face one of the third-placed qualifiers, most likely Sweden, on June 30 in New Jersey.

For Norway, finishing second is not a crisis, they are through to the knockouts for the first time in over 25 years and the squad rotation here was a calculated decision. Haaland, Odegaard, and the first-choice XI will be available against Ivory Coast in Dallas on June 30. Solbakken’s team will need to be sharper defensively in that fixture; the backline exposed by Dembélé on Friday was not the one he will start with in the last 32.