Dembélé’s First-Half Dominance Secures Group Win
France secured first place in their World Cup group following a 4-1 victory over Norway in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Forward Ousmane Dembélé was a key figure, scoring a hat trick in the first half of the match on Friday, June 26, 2026. His goals came in the seventh, 20th, and 32nd minutes, with the first assisted by Kylian Mbappé. This performance marked the first first-half hat trick at the World Cup since Russia forward Oleg Salenko achieved the feat in 1994 against Cameroon.
Dembélé, who was recognized as Europe’s top player with the Ballon d’Or in 2025, now has four goals in this year’s tournament. He was substituted in the 65th minute, with Bradley Barcola entering the game. Dembélé’s international goal tally has now reached eight.
Norway managed to get on the scoreboard through Thelo Aasgaard, who scored just 14 seconds after Dembélé’s second goal. However, Dembélé quickly responded with his third goal less than nine minutes later, re-establishing a two-goal lead for France. Désiré Doué added France‘s final goal during second-half injury time.
Team Lineups and Managerial Absence
Norway‘s lineup saw significant changes, with 10 regular starters absent from the match against France. Among those not starting was Erling Haaland, who is tied with Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior and France’s Kylian Mbappé for the second-most goals in the tournament, each with four. These changes were reportedly made to rest key players, as Norway had already secured a spot in the round of 32. Egil Selvik started in goal for Norway, replacing Orjan Nyland. Fredrik Aursnes was the only player who started Norway‘s previous game against Senegal to be in the starting 11 for this match.
France, on the other hand, fielded its regular lineup, though they were without head coach Didier Deschamps. Assistant coach Guy Stéphan managed the team in his place. Deschamps is currently in France with his family following the recent passing of his mother. Stéphan expressed his continued thoughts for Deschamps and his family, stating his commitment to making the situation as normal as possible and proving worthy of the trust placed in him.
Deschamps had previously announced his intention to step down as France coach after the tournament, 14 years after taking the role. He won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and then again as coach in 2018. His France team reached the final four years ago.
Match Details and Tournament Context
France had already secured its place in the knockout round prior to Friday’s match. With this victory, they finished first in Group I, while Norway ended up in second place. The winner of Group I is scheduled to play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday against a yet-to-be-determined third-place finisher. The second-place team in the group will face the Ivory Coast on the same day in Arlington, Texas.
Early in the match, Mbappé nearly scored for France just 21 seconds into the game, hitting the crossbar with a shot. Dembélé’s first goal came from a pass from Mbappé, which he blasted past Selvik. For his second goal, Dembélé found space among three defenders and fired a left-footed shot beyond Selvik‘s diving attempt.
Norway had an opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 49th minute when France defender Theo Hernandez was penalized for tripping Oscar Bobb in the box. However, Jorgen Strand Larsen‘s penalty shot was saved by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Mbappé has now accumulated 16 goals and four assists in 17 World Cup matches, including two goals in each of France’s wins over Senegal and Iraq.
Read Also
Source: sportsnet.ca
