DEMBELE JOINS ELITE FRENCH WORLD CUP HAT-TRICK CLUB

Read Time:3 Minute, 4 Second

By: Fasasi Hammad

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick as France cruised to a 4-1 victory over a heavily rotated Norway side on Friday, securing top spot in Group I at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward struck in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes at Gillette Stadium near Boston, producing one of the earliest hat-tricks in World Cup history. Norway briefly reduced the deficit through Thelo Aasgaard, but France remained firmly in control throughout.

Only Austria’s Erich Probst, who scored three goals within the opening 24 minutes against Czechoslovakia at the 1954 World Cup, has completed a hat-trick earlier in a tournament match.

Dembele’s treble took his tally to four goals at the competition, having also scored in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq earlier in the week. His impressive form has helped ease the burden on captain Kylian Mbappe, who has often been relied upon as France’s decisive attacking figure.

Desire Doue added a fourth goal in stoppage time as Les Bleus completed the group stage with a perfect nine points, scoring 10 goals across their three matches.

France will remain in the northeastern United States for a Round of 32 clash against one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday.

The victory came under emotional circumstances, with head coach Didier Deschamps absent after travelling to France to attend his mother’s funeral. Deschamps, who is set to leave his role after the World Cup following 14 years in charge, is expected to rejoin the squad on Saturday.

GUNMEN KILL BENUE MACBAN CHAIRMAN, ONE OTHER AFTER PEACE MEETING

Despite the defeat, Norway progressed to the knockout stage as runners-up in the group with six points, having already secured qualification through victories over Iraq and Senegal.

Coach Stale Solbakken opted to rest several key players, making 10 changes to the side that defeated Senegal 3-2. Star names including Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Alexander Sorloth were left on the bench, with Fredrik Aursnes the only player retained in the starting line-up.

Norway will face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 in Dallas next Tuesday.

France, meanwhile, made a handful of changes, with Maxence Lacroix replacing William Saliba, who was rested due to a back problem. However, both Dembele and Mbappe retained their places in the starting XI.

Dembele opened the scoring after being released by Mbappe, cutting in from the right before firing beyond goalkeeper Egil Selvik. He doubled France’s lead with a low curling effort into the far corner before Aasgaard briefly revived Norwegian hopes with an immediate response.

The French forward completed his hat-trick moments later, curling home another precise finish to restore his side’s two-goal cushion.

Although the three goals came within a 25-minute spell, the feat fell short of the fastest World Cup hat-trick record, which belongs to Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss, who scored three times in under eight minutes against El Salvador in 1982.

Dembele’s performance places him among an exclusive group of French players to score World Cup hat-tricks, joining Just Fontaine, who achieved the feat twice in 1958, and Mbappe, who netted three goals in the 2022 final.

Norway had a chance to narrow the margin early in the second half after Oscar Bobb was fouled in the penalty area, but Jorgen Strand Larsen’s spot-kick was comfortably saved by Mike Maignan.

Doue later completed the scoring with a late header to cap another dominant display from the French side.