France secured top spot in their World Cup group after a dominant 4-1 victory over Norway, with Ousmane Dembélé producing a brilliant first-half hat-trick to lead the champions into the knockout stage, Softfootball reports.
Dembélé opened the scoring in the seventh minute after receiving a pass from Kylian Mbappé before firing past the goalkeeper. The Paris Saint-Germain forward added his second in the 20th minute with a superb finish from inside the box, before completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute.
Norway responded immediately after the restart, with Thelo Aasgaard scoring just 14 seconds after Dembélé’s second goal to give his side hope. However, France quickly restored their two-goal advantage as Dembélé completed his historic treble.
Désiré Doué added France’s fourth goal in second-half stoppage time, sealing another impressive performance from Didier Deschamps’ team. Dembélé, who won the 2025 Ballon d’Or, now has four goals at this World Cup and eight international goals overall.
Norway had a chance to reduce the deficit when Theo Hernández conceded a penalty, but Jørgen Strand Larsen’s effort was saved by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France had already secured qualification before the match, while Norway also progressed to the Round of 32 despite the defeat.
Player Ratings
Norway
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Egil Selvik | 6.1 |
| Fredrik Bjørkan | 6.2 |
| Leo Østigård | 5.6 |
| Henrik Falchener | 5.6 |
| Fredrik Aursnes | 6.8 |
| Patrick Berg | 6.4 |
| Kristian Thorstvedt | 6.8 |
| Andreas Schjelderup | 7.8 |
| Thelo Aasgaard | 7.5 |
| Oscar Bobb | 7.4 |
| Jørgen Strand Larsen | 6.0 |
France
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Mike Maignan | 7.5 |
| Theo Hernández | 6.5 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 6.2 |
| Dayot Upamecano | 7.3 |
| Jules Koundé | 7.4 |
| Manu Koné | 7.2 |
| Aurélien Tchouaméni | 8.5 |
| Désiré Doué | 8.3 |
| Michael Olise | 6.7 |
| Ousmane Dembélé | 9.6 |
| Kylian Mbappé | 8.8 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Norway | France |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 43.2% | 56.8% |
| xG | 1.69 | 1.31 |
| Shots | 10 | 18 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 9 |
| Touches Inside Opposition Box | 25 | 27 |
| Goalkeeper Saves | 5 | 3 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 7 | 13 |
| Fouls Committed | 9 | 11 |
| Corners | 4 | 5 |
| Shots Off Target | 3 | 6 |
| Goals | 1 | 4 |
| Total Passes | 420 | 557 |
