France booked their place in the next stage in emphatic fashion with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway, inspired by a sensational hat-trick from Ousmane Dembélé.
Les Bleus signalled their intentions from the opening whistle when Kylian Mbappé rattled the woodwork just a minute into the match.
France’s early pressure paid off in the seventh minute as Mbappé slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Dembélé, who glided past his markers before calmly finishing with his right foot to hand the French a deserved lead.
Dembélé doubled both his tally and France’s advantage in the 20th minute, unleashing a thunderous left-footed strike beyond the Norwegian goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Norway responded immediately through Aasgard, who reduced the deficit just a minute later with a well-taken finish to make it 2-1 and briefly revive his side’s hopes.
However, Dembélé completed a memorable hat-trick in the 32nd minute, firing past the Norwegian goalkeeper to restore France’s two-goal cushion at 3-1. The treble made him only the third player to score a hat-trick at the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
Norway had a golden opportunity to claw their way back into the contest early in the second half when Bobb was brought down inside the penalty area in the 50th minute. The referee pointed to the spot, but Larsen’s penalty was brilliantly denied by goalkeeper Maignan, whose crucial save preserved France’s comfortable advantage.
As the match drew to a close, Désiré Doué added the finishing touch in stoppage time, slotting home in the 90+4th minute to seal a convincing 4-1 victory and send France into the next stage in dominant style.
