France Beat Norway 4–1 as Dembele Scores Hat-Trick

France secured their place in the knockout stage as Group I winners with a perfect record after defeating Norway 4–1 in their final group-stage match of the World Cup.

Ousmane Dembele completed a first-half hat-trick as France took control of the match early, before adding another goal in the closing stages of the second half. In the other Group I match, Senegal defeated Iraq 5–0, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

Against Norway, French forward Dembele completed his hat-trick within 32 minutes, helping France establish a 3–1 lead in the first half. Thilo Aasgaard pulled one goal back for Norway, while Desire Doue scored France’s fourth goal late in the match.

Norway made 10 changes for the match against France, with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard among the players included in the side. However, France dominated from the beginning and maintained control throughout the game.

Dembele’s hat-trick was the third of the ongoing World Cup. Earlier in the tournament, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Canada’s Jonathan David had also scored hat-tricks.

For Dembele, this was his first hat-trick in a major international tournament. He appeared to be in outstanding form, with his powerful and accurate long-range strikes leaving Norway’s defence and goalkeeper with little chance.

By completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, Dembele became the second-fastest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history. The record remains with Austria’s Erich Probst, who scored a hat-trick against Czechoslovakia in the 24th minute in 1954.

With the hat-trick, Dembele has also strengthened his claim in the race for the tournament’s top scorer. His total has reached four goals, putting him alongside Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior. Lionel Messi currently leads the scoring chart with five goals. Mbappe, however, failed to score in the match against Norway.

In the other Group I fixture, Senegal registered a commanding 5–0 victory over Iraq. The result secured Senegal third place in the group and preserved their chance of advancing to the knockout stage through the best third-placed teams ranking.