France defeated Norway 4-1 this Friday to secure the top spot in Group I of the World Cup 2026 after Ousmane Dembélé scored a stunning first-half hat-trick.

France played the match without their manager, Didier Deschamps, who was absent today following the tragic passing of his mother. However, the team responded with a collective performance of the highest tactical level.

With this decisive victory, the French national team completed the group stage with a perfect record of three victories.

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From the opening whistle at the Boston Stadium, the French squad demonstrated offensive power against a Norwegian side that decided to rest ten of its usual starters. Merely 26 seconds into the match, Kylian Mbappé struck the crossbar with a powerful shot, setting an aggressive tone for the European side.

The offensive pressure materialized quickly when Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring in the 7th minute. The Paris Saint-Germain forward received an assist from Kylian Mbappé and finished with precision. In the 20th minute, the same combination yielded a second goal. Kylian Mbappé provided his second assist of the match, allowing Ousmane Dembélé to score with a clinical left-footed strike.

Norway responded immediately from the kickoff to disrupt French dominance. Midfielder Thelo Aasgaard scored in the 21st minute to reduce the deficit to two goals to one. Despite this brief reaction, the French attack remained relentless. In the 30 minute, Ousmane Dembélé completed his personal hat-trick, restoring a two-goal advantage for the French team before the end of the first half.

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Una publicación compartida de teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)

Norway Rested Stars

The Scandinavian team faced a massive challenge after choosing to protect their main players. Without stars like Erling Haaland or Martin Odegaard on the pitch, the team struggled to contain the technical superiority of France. In the second half, the Norwegian side attempted to reorganize their lines and generated dangerous offensive combinations.

The decisive moment of the second half occurred when Norway earned a penalty kick. Striker Jörgen Strand Larsen executed the penalty, but French goalkeeper Mike Maignan blocked the shot. This critical intervention prevented the Scandinavian side from scoring a second goal and stopped their momentum. France then managed the tempo of the game, utilizing space on the counter-attack to neutralize the opponent.

In the final minutes of the match, the French team sealed the victory. Substitute midfielder Désiré Doué scored the fourth goal in the 94th minute, finalizing the four to one scoreline.

A final look at Group I as France and Norway head to the knockouts #FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2026

With this result, France secures first place in Group I and will face a third-placed team from groups C, D, F, G, or H in the round of 16 on June 30. Meanwhile, Norway advances as the second-placed team and will face Ivory Coast in the next round of World Cup 2026.

Dembél As Protagonist

The current Ballon d’Or holder, Ousmane Dembél, displayed absolute clinical efficiency by scoring three goals during the first hour of play. This performance allowed him to write his name into football history.

The winger displayed lethal precision by converting three goals from exactly three shots, becaming the third French footballer to achieve a hat-trick in a World Cup match, joining the exclusive list alongside Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappé. Furthermore, his execution represents the second-fastest hat-trick ever recorded in tournament history, only behind Probst in 1954.

Chosen by the fans: Ousmane Dembélé your Superior Player of the Match.

#FIFAWorldCup #SuperiorPOTM pic.twitter.com/tMLgiHyrvl

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2026

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