Anthony Nlebem
Ousmane Dembele scored the first hat-trick of his international career as France thrashed Norway 4-1 on Friday to complete a perfect Group I campaign at the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
With both teams already through to the Round of 32, only the top spot was at stake. Norway manager Stale Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting line-up, resting key stars Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, and France took full advantage.
Read Also: World Cup: Senegal thrash Iraq 5-0 to keep round of 32 hopes alive
The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner struck in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes to register his first hat-trick for Les Bleus and move to four goals for the tournament.
His treble was the first first-half World Cup hat-trick since Russia’s Oleg Salenko scored three of his five goals against Cameroon in 1994. It also ranked as the second-fastest hat-trick from kick-off in World Cup history, behind Austria’s Erich Probst in 1954.
France, led by assistant coach Guy Stéphan after Didier Deschamps returned home following the death of his mother, dominated from the opening whistle.
Dembélé opened the scoring after Kylian Mbappé won possession high up the pitch and teed him up to beat goalkeeper Egil Selvik. He doubled the lead with a clinical finish after a lightning-fast counter-attack.
Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Rangers forward Thelo Aasgaard scored just 79 seconds after France’s second goal, capitalising on a defensive lapse.
However, Dembele restored France’s two-goal cushion before half-time, cutting inside onto his left foot and curling another superb finish beyond Selvik to complete his memorable treble.
With the result beyond doubt, Dembele was substituted in the 65th minute before Paris Saint-Germain teammate Désiré Doué added a fourth in stoppage time to seal a convincing victory as France finished the group stage with maximum points.
Anthony Nlebem
Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
Source: Businessday.ng | Read the Full Story…
