Norway 1–4 France: Fifa World Cup 2026 Match Report

Dembélé Steals the Show in Boston

The billing promised a heavyweight shoot-out between two of the tournament's most prolific forwards: Erling Haaland, with four goals in two games, against Kylian Mbappé, also with four. Instead, with both France and Norway already safely through to the knockout rounds, the headline act turned out to be a different Frenchman entirely — Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, who produced one of the great individual World Cup displays.

Norway, with second place already secured, made ten changes and named Haaland among the substitutes — where he would stay for the full 90 minutes. France, with assistant Guy Stephan deputising for Didier Deschamps, flew out of the blocks: Mbappé clipped the crossbar inside the first minute, then turned provider, his crossfield ball releasing Dembélé to cut inside and find the far corner after seven minutes. Dembélé's second on 20 minutes was even better, curled into the same corner with his left foot from outside the box. Thelo Aasgaard gave Norway brief hope, finishing just 14 seconds after the restart to make it 2-1, but the respite lasted only minutes — Dembélé completed his treble on 32 minutes.

It was the first first-half hat-trick at a World Cup since 1994, and one of the quickest trebles in the tournament's history. For Dembélé — a player who, remarkably, had never scored at a major tournament before breaking his duck against Iraq this month — it capped a stunning rise to the top of the world game. He was withdrawn to a standing ovation just past the hour, and substitute Désiré Doué rounded off the scoring deep in stoppage time as France made it three wins from three.

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Egil Selvik — A Tough Afternoon Against a Rampant France

Drafted in as part of Norway's ten changes, reserve goalkeeper Egil Selvik endured a baptism of fire against one of the tournament favourites. He was beaten three times in the first half alone by Ousmane Dembélé — and there was little he could do about any of them, with two of the goals finding the same unstoppable far corner. Facing 19 shots and 10 on target, Selvik was kept relentlessly busy and made a number of saves to keep the score respectable. A chastening experience against opponents of France's calibre, but valuable minutes on the biggest stage for the deputy.

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Conclusion

Norway 1-4 France. A game billed as a duel between two of the world's deadliest strikers became, instead, a showcase for a third. With Erling Haaland rested on the bench and Kylian Mbappé in a supporting role, Ousmane Dembélé seized his moment with a magnificent first-half hat-trick — the first at a World Cup in over three decades — to send France top of Group I with a flawless record.

For Norway, the heavy defeat is softened by the knowledge that they had already qualified and deliberately rotated, with Solbakken keeping his key men fresh. Both teams march on: France as ominous-looking group winners, Norway as runners-up with a refreshed squad. The knockout rounds await — and on this evidence, Les Bleus will take some stopping.