Ousmane Dembélé scores hat trick as France leads Norway in World Cup clash

Ousmane Dembélé scores hat trick as France leads Norway in World Cup clash

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Ousmane Dembélé delivered a lethal first-half performance, scoring a hat trick to propel France to a 3-1 lead over Norway during their 2026 World Cup group stage finale on Friday, June 26, at Gillette Stadium.

The match, which decided the top spot in Group I, was defined by a dominant French attack and a heavily rotated Norwegian squad. While both nations had already clinched berths in the Round of 32, the stakes remained high: a win or draw for France would secure first place, while Norway required a victory to finish atop the group.

Dembélé completed his trio of goals in just 32 minutes of action, marking the third hat trick of the tournament and the third by a single player in the 2026 edition, joining Argentina's Lionel Messi and Canada's Jonathan David. His first goal arrived early in the match following a long through-ball on the right side of the pitch. He followed this with a low drive from distance and concluded the hat trick with a left-footed strike into the left side of the net.

Kylian Mbappé played a central role in the onslaught, providing two assists for Dembélé. Mbappé nearly scored himself just 20 seconds into the match, hitting the crossbar from a tight angle on the right. Despite the pressure, Mbappé remained off the scoreboard in the first half.

Norway struggled to contain the French offense but remained dangerous on the counter-attack. In the 21st minute, immediately after France had doubled its lead, Thelo Aasgaard capitalized on a defensive lapse to slot home a goal from the edge of the box, briefly cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The Norwegian side entered the match with significant changes to its lineup. Manager Ståle Solbakken opted to rest several key players, most notably star striker Erling Haaland and captain Martin Ødegaard, both of whom began the game on the bench. This rotation followed Haaland's earlier comments that he did not care about the final Group I game since Norway had already qualified.

France also played without head coach Didier Deschamps, who returned to France following the death of his mother. Assistant Guy Stephan took over managerial duties for the match.

Statistically, France controlled the early proceedings with 61% to 68% possession across different tracking reports and 13 to 14 attempts on goal. Norway managed four attempts, with Jørgen Strand Larsen missing a significant chance from close range after a lob from Fredrik Aursnes.

The atmosphere in Foxborough was electric, with Norwegian supporters performing the "Viking Row" celebration in the stands.

The result of this match dictates the path forward in the knockout rounds. A victory for Norway would have guaranteed them a match against a third-place team from Group D, F, or G. Instead, by trailing France, Norway is currently positioned to face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32.