Ousmane Dembele has scored a scintillating first-half hat-trick against Norway as France have taken a 3-1 lead in their final group stage encounter on Friday (June 26).
The Frenchman opened the scoring for France in the 7th minute with a sublime strike, and then again doubled the lead in the 20th minute. After Thelo Aasgard got one back for Norway, Dembele found his hat-trick in the 32nd minute of the match.
Les Bleus have already qualified for the Round of 32 stages, and Didier Deschamps is not present in the dugout. Amid this, the European giants are looking comfortable as they have a healthy lead.
Ousmane Dembele reaches Milestone
With his hat-trick, Ousmane Dembele has now become the first player to score a first-half hat-trick in a World Cup after 24 years, since Miroslav
Klose scored one against Saudi Arabia in the 2002 World Cup. Dembele is also the second Frenchman to score a first-half hat-trick in a World Cup after Just Fontaine.
Earliest completed first-half hat-tricks
Erich Probst of Austria completed by the 24th minute at the 1954 World Cup. Probst's remains the fastest World Cup hat-trick by elapsed time from kick-off, as he scored within 20 minutes. Dembele completed his hat-trick in 25 minutes, and is the second quickest in World Cup history.
List of Footballers to Score a First Half Hat-Trick in FIFA World Cup
Check the full list here-
| Player | Country | Opponent | World Cup | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guillermo Stábile | Argentina | Mexico | 1930 | Argentina 6-3 Mexico |
| Edmund Conen | Germany | Belgium | 1934 | Germany 5-2 Belgium |
| Gustav Wetterström | Sweden | Cuba | 1938 | Sweden 8-0 Cuba |
| Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | South Korea | 1954 | Hungary 9-0 South Korea |
| Erich Probst | Austria | Czechoslovakia | 1954 | Austria 5-0 Czechoslovakia |
| Just Fontaine | France | Paraguay | 1958 | France 7-3 Paraguay |
| Eusebio | Portugal | North Korea | 1966 (Quarter-final) | Portugal 5-3 North Korea |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | Saudi Arabia | 2002 | Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia |
| Ousmane Dembele | France | Norway | 2026 | Match Ongoing |
