France completed a flawless Group I campaign at the FIFA World Cup with an emphatic 4-1 victory over a heavily rotated Norway side on Friday, as Ousmane Dembele produced a devastating first-half hat-trick to secure top spot and maintain Les Bleus’ perfect record heading into the knockout rounds.
Already assured of qualification before kickoff, France still had plenty to play for, knowing first place would provide a more favorable travel schedule and potentially a more manageable route through the expanded 48-team tournament. They responded with one of their most complete attacking displays of the competition, overwhelming Norway long before halftime.
The victory carried additional emotional significance for the French squad after coach Didier Deschamps temporarily left the team to return home for the funeral of his mother. Assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge on the touchline and said afterward that the players were determined to honor their absent manager with a convincing performance.
“We really wanted to be there for Didier and to be up to the task,” Stephan said after the match. “I will call him later and he will be ecstatic.”
France are now expected to face Sweden in the round of 32, while Norway, who finished second despite the defeat, will meet Ivory Coast. Deschamps is expected to rejoin the squad on Saturday to begin preparations for the knockout stage.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken made sweeping changes to his lineup after qualification had already been secured, resting nearly his entire first-choice side, including prolific striker Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard. Only one player who started the previous victory over Senegal remained in the starting lineup as Solbakken prioritized freshness for the knockout phase.
France immediately seized control.
Within 20 seconds, Kylian Mbappe nearly opened the scoring when his powerful angled effort crashed against the crossbar, signaling the relentless attacking intent that would define the evening.
The breakthrough arrived in the sixth minute. Mbappe delivered a superb diagonal pass to Dembele, who cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable finish beyond goalkeeper Egil Selvik to register his first goal of the night.
Dembele doubled France’s advantage in the 20th minute after another incisive pass from Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain forward created just enough separation from his defender before curling another precise finish into the net.
Norway briefly responded when Thelo Aasgaard reduced the deficit moments later, offering a glimpse of hope for the Scandinavian side.
Any thoughts of a comeback disappeared quickly.
Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with another composed low finish into the bottom corner after France sliced open Norway’s defense once again. The three-goal burst became only the third World Cup hat-trick by a French player after Just Fontaine and Mbappe, while also ranking as the tournament’s second-fastest treble since Austria’s Erich Probst scored three goals within 24 minutes against Czechoslovakia in 1954.
Although France entered halftime firmly in control, Norway created several opportunities after the restart.
Jorgen Strand Larsen squandered the visitors’ best chance to close the gap when Mike Maignan comfortably saved his softly struck penalty early in the second half. Oscar Bobb also forced another excellent save from the French goalkeeper as Norway enjoyed their strongest spell of the match.
France’s defense occasionally looked vulnerable, but the overall outcome was never seriously threatened.
Substitute Bradley Barcola added fresh energy down the flank, and his cross in the closing minutes found Desire Doue, who headed home France’s fourth goal to complete the convincing victory.
The result extended France’s momentum after an already impressive group-stage campaign and reinforced their status as one of the tournament favorites despite Deschamps’ temporary absence.
For Norway, the defeat did little to diminish the broader objective of reaching the knockout rounds. Solbakken defended his decision to rotate heavily, arguing that preserving key players for the next phase outweighed the importance of chasing first place.
“The only argument against doing what we did is that the fans in Norway and here could have seen Erling and Martin,” Solbakken said. “But then it wouldn’t be a long World Cup, and that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to go as far as possible.”
While France now enter the knockout stage full of confidence behind an attack led by the in-form Dembele and Mbappe, Norway will hope their rested stars can return refreshed as they prepare for a difficult meeting with Ivory Coast.
France, meanwhile, leave the group stage with maximum points, renewed momentum and one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking partnerships firing at exactly the right time.
