France completed a perfect Group I campaign at the FIFA World Cup 2026, claiming maximum points with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Norway at Boston Stadium in the USA on Saturday to finish at the top of the standings.
Les Bleus were powered by an outstanding hat-trick from Ousmane Dembele, while Desire Doue also got on the scoresheet as France comfortably overcame a heavily rotated Norwegian side in their final group-stage match.
Dembele became the first player since Russia’s Oleg Salenko, who netted a quick treble vs Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup, to complete a hattrick in the first half of a WC game.
Dembele wasted little time making his mark, breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute. After being picked out by Kylian Mbappe on the right, the winger
drove inside and unleashed a powerful strike into the top-left corner.
The French forward doubled the advantage soon afterwards, gliding past his marker before bending a superb left-footed effort into the net to further strengthen France’s grip on the contest.
Norway responded with a goal of their own as Aasgaard produced an impressive run, leaving Dayot Upamecano behind before slotting the ball beyond Mike Maignan to briefly cut the deficit.
France quickly re-established their two-goal cushion just beyond the half-hour mark. Dembele showcased his skill with neat footwork to create space on the right before calmly finishing to seal the second-fastest hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history.
The Norwegians had a golden opportunity early in the second half when Oscar Bobb earned a penalty after being fouled inside the area by Theo Hernandez. However, Maignan guessed correctly and denied Jorgen Strand Larsen from the spot with an excellent save.
Doue completed the scoring by heading home Bradley Barcola’s inviting delivery, sealing an impressive 4-1 victory for France.
In the other Group I contest, Senegal recorded a dominant 5-0 win over Iraq. Papa Gueye struck twice, while Habib Diarra, Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye each added a goal to help the Lions of Teranga finish third in the group with three points.
