Dembélé’s hat-trick seals France’s third straight World Cup win

France secured their third consecutive group-stage victory at the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Norway in Boston. Ousmane Dembélé scored a first-half hat-trick as Les Bleus dominated a Norwegian side fielding a second-string lineup. The match saw Norway make ten starting changes, including resting Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Despite the adjustments, France’s attacking trio of Dembélé, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappé exposed gaps early. Dembélé opened the scoring in the 10th minute, finishing clinically after a swift counter. Norway responded with a goal from Rangers’ Thelo Aasgaard in the 23rd minute, briefly halting France’s momentum. Dembélé restored the two-goal lead before halftime, completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with an assist from Aurélien Tchouaméni. The feat marked the third occasion at this World Cup where a player scored three goals in a single match, following Lionel Messi and Jonathan David.

Dembélé downplays hat‑trick, eyes bigger goals for France

France’s dominance continued after the break, though Norway nearly halved the deficit when Jørgen Strand Larsen saw his penalty saved by Mike Maignan. Oscar Bobb was fouled in the box to force the spot-kick. Deep into stoppage time, Desire Doué added a fourth goal, finishing from close range to seal the win. With three wins from three matches, France topped their group and will face Sweden in the next round. Norway, eliminated, concluded their campaign with a defeat to Ivory Coast.