Dembele scores stunning hat-trick as France thrash Norway 4-1

Dembele scores stunning hat-trick as France thrash Norway 4-1 

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele delivered a sensational first-half hat-trick as France defeated Norway 4-1 on Friday to finish top of Group I with a perfect record at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward struck three times inside the opening 32 minutes at Gillette Stadium near Boston, producing one of the earliest hat-tricks in World Cup history and reinforcing France’s credentials as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Dembele opened the scoring in the seventh minute after being played through by captain Kylian Mbappe, who earned his 101st international appearance for France. Cutting in from the right, the 29-year-old calmly slotted the ball beyond Norwegian goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

The French star doubled his tally in the 20th minute with another composed finish after drifting inside from the right flank before curling a low shot into the far corner.

Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard fired past Mike Maignan to reduce the deficit, but Dembele quickly restored France’s two-goal advantage by completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with another clinical left-footed finish.

His remarkable treble came within 25 minutes of his opening goal, making it one of the fastest hat-tricks in FIFA World Cup history. Only Austria’s Erich Probst, who scored three goals within the opening 24 minutes against Czechoslovakia in 1954, reached the milestone earlier from kick-off. Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss still holds the record for the fastest World Cup hat-trick overall after scoring three goals in less than eight minutes as a substitute in 1982.

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The victory also saw Dembele join an exclusive list of French players to score a World Cup hat-trick, becoming only the third after legendary striker Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappe, who netted three goals in the dramatic 2022 World Cup final.

France continued to dominate after the break despite Norway creating several chances.

The Scandinavians were handed an opportunity to reduce the deficit after Oscar Bobb was brought down inside the penalty area by Theo Hernandez, but striker Jorgen Strand Larsen failed to convert from the spot as Maignan produced an excellent save.

Substitute Desire Doue completed the rout deep into stoppage time, sealing a convincing 4-1 victory for Les Bleus.

France’s impressive performance came despite the absence of head coach Didier Deschamps, who temporarily returned home to France following the death of his mother. Veteran assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge of the team, with Deschamps expected to rejoin the squad before the knockout stage.

The result ensured France completed the group stage with maximum nine points, scoring 10 goals and conceding only two in three matches to comfortably finish as Group I winners.

Dembele’s latest heroics also took his tally to four goals at the tournament after finding the net in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq earlier in the week, strengthening his bid for the Golden Boot.

For Norway, qualification had already been secured following victories over Iraq and Senegal, prompting coach Stale Solbakken to make 10 changes to his starting line-up.

Key players including Erling Haaland, captain Martin Odegaard and striker Alexander Sorloth were all rested ahead of the knockout rounds, while Fredrik Aursnes was the only regular starter retained.

Despite the heavy defeat, Norway advanced as Group I runners-up with six points and will face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32.

France, meanwhile, will remain in the northeastern United States for a knockout clash against a third-placed team at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as they continue their quest for a third FIFA World Cup title.

Dembele scores stunning hat-trick as France thrash Norway 4-1