Dembele hits hat-trick as France dismantle Norway

France produced a ruthless attacking display to overpower Norway 4-1 on Friday, with Ousmane Dembele netting a brilliant hat-trick to send Les Bleus into the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup in emphatic fashion.

The French winger stole the spotlight with clinical finishes in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes, completing his treble before halftime as France seized complete control of the Group I encounter.

Dembele opened the scoring after being picked out by Kylian Mbappe before doubling the advantage moments later with another composed finish following a clever pass from the France captain.

Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back in the 21st minute after being set up by Andreas Schjelderup, but Dembele quickly extinguished any hopes of a revival by completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute after Aurélien Tchouaméni released him with a defence-splitting pass.

France continued to dominate after the break, although Norway were handed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit when they won a penalty in the 49th minute. However, Jørgen Larsen failed to capitalise as goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a comfortable save to preserve France’s commanding lead.

The French side continued to create chances, with Mbappe, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola repeatedly stretching the Norwegian defence.

Doué eventually added a fourth goal deep into stoppage time, rising highest to head home Barcola’s lofted cross and seal an emphatic victory.

The result underlined France’s status as one of the tournament favourites, with Didier Deschamps’ side combining attacking flair with defensive discipline to secure maximum points.