Ousmane Dembele produced a sensational first-half hat-trick as France thrashed Norway 4-1 in their final Group I match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, sending a strong warning to their title rivals ahead of the knockout stage.
The clash at Boston Stadium had been billed as a battle between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Instead, it was Dembele who stole the spotlight with a dazzling display in front of a sold-out crowd of 64,000.
With both teams already assured of a place in the Round of 32, Norway rested several first-team players, including Haaland, while France fielded a near full-strength side.
France nearly took the lead inside the opening 25 seconds when Mbappe's effort struck the crossbar. Moments later, Dembele opened the scoring before completing a stunning hat-trick in just 25 minutes. France added another goal after the break, while Norway managed only a late consolation as Les Bleus sealed an emphatic 4-1 victory.
The treble was Dembele's first at a World Cup and made him only the third French player to score a hat-trick in the tournament after Just Fontaine and Mbappe.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward had failed to score in his previous two World Cup campaigns, playing 11 matches across the 2018 and 2022 editions. Before this tournament, he had managed just eight goals in 61 appearances for France, leading many to question his ability to reproduce his club form on the international stage.
Dembele has now answered those doubts in style. After opening his World Cup account against Iraq in France's second group match, he added three more against Norway to take his tally to four goals, level with Mbappe and just one behind tournament top scorer Lionel Messi of Argentina.
His three goals inside the opening 32 minutes also made it the second-fastest World Cup hat-trick in history, behind Austria's Erich Probst, who achieved the feat in 24 minutes in 1954.
More importantly, Dembele's performance underlined France's attacking depth. With the knockout stage looming, Didier Deschamps' side appear to have far more than just Mbappe to rely on in front of goal, strengthening their credentials as one of the favourites to lift the 2026 World Cup trophy.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
