France produced a devastating first-half display as Ousmane Dembélé struck a sensational hat-trick to fire Les Bleus into a commanding 3-1 lead over Norway at the break.
The French wasted little time asserting their dominance, with Dembélé opening the scoring in the seventh minute. Latching onto a perfectly timed pass from Kylian Mbappé, the winger weaved past his markers before shifting the ball onto his right foot and calmly slotting home to make it 1-0.
Dembélé doubled France’s advantage in the 20th minute with another moment of brilliance, this time unleashing a powerful left-footed strike that left the Norwegian goalkeeper with no chance.
Norway responded almost instantly as Aasgard reduced the deficit just a minute later, finishing clinically in the 21st minute to give his side renewed hope at 2-1.
However, France quickly regained full control of the contest. In the 32nd minute, Dembélé completed a stunning hat-trick by racing through on goal and firing beyond the Norwegian goalkeeper to restore the two-goal cushion at 3-1.
The treble sees Dembélé become only the third player to score a hat-trick at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, capping a breathtaking first-half performance that has France firmly in control heading into the second period.
