World Cup: Dembele nets hat-trick as France thrash Norway to top Group I

Ousmane Dembele scored a superb hat-trick in 32 minutes as France defeated a rotated Norway side to finish top of Group I at the 2026 World Cup.

Pre-match hopes that this game would be an epic showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe were quashed by the arrival of the teamsheets.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken made 10 changes after two group victories, including resting Manchester City forward Haaland.

But into the narrative void stepped Dembele, who delivered the second-fastest men’s World Cup hat-trick ever with three goals of the purest quality.

It was the first time a player had scored three goals in the opening half of a match in the tournament since Russia’s Oleg Salenko in 1994.

And it was the second-quickest World Cup hat-trick ever from the start of a match, behind Erich Probst’s 24-minute treble in 1954 for Austria.

France assistant coach Guy Stephan, who led the team with manager Didier Deschamps having returned home following the death of his mother, said Dembele had been in part inspired by criticism from the French media.

“Ousmane is a human being, just like anyone he can hear the criticism,” Stephan said. “He has unfortunately had injury issues but every time he comes back harder and harder. Three goals in a World Cup game is exceptional.”

France completely dominated the early stages and deservedly broke through in the seventh minute. Having won the ball in Norway’s half, Mbappe spread it wide right to Dembele in space. The Ballon d’Or winner squared up his marker and slammed home past Egil Selvik.

It was 2-0 in the 20th minute when Dembele completed a lightning counter-attack by cutting off the right-hand side on to his wizardly left foot and whipped a curling shot into the far corner.

Norway struck back within 79 seconds, the French defence declining to respond to an attack straight from the kick-off which ended in Rangers attacker Thelo Aasgaard sweeping the ball past a wrong-footed Mike Maignan.

But Dembele was far from done, as he moved himself into contention as the tournament’s top scorer with his fourth goal.

Again he cut on to his left foot and, with four surrounding defenders paralysed by fear, curled another effort past Norway reserve keeper Selvik.

Dembele was subbed off after 65 minutes as the tempo dropped after the break, but his Paris St-Germain team-mate Desire Doue stepped up to add a fourth in the 94th minute with a looping header.

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