New Delhi: France dominated Norway for a 4-1 win at the Boston Stadium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup early Saturday. French winger Ousmane Dembele’s first-half hattrick and Desire Doue’s stoppage-time headed goal after 90 minutes sealed all three points for his team, which topped Group I with nine points.
With this, the 29-year-old became the first player to score a hattrick in the first half in 32 years. In 1994, Russia’s Oleg Salenko scored a hattrick in the first half. He went on to score five goals in that match.
The first goal came in the 7th minute after a brilliant piece of footwork from Dembele put the defender on the wrong side, with the talisman winger slotting it home with his weaker foot into the far post.
In the 20th minute, the Balon d’Or holder doubled his tally with a cut-in from the right, sublimely curling the ball from just outside the penalty box. A full stretch from the goalkeeper went in vain.
In the 32nd minute, Dembele completed his first hattrick in a major tournament. The winger faked twice on the right wing before, deceiving the defender, and then shooting another curler to the second post. In the 94th minute, Doue guided a header inside the net.
The only goal for Norway came after Thelo Aasgard pulled the trigger in a quick counter-attack in the 21st minute.
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Ousmane Dembele’s run
Dembele arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the best form of his career after a remarkable 2025-26 season for PSG. He dominated both in the league and in Europe. His performance earned him the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
For Dembele, the 2026 FIFA World Cup became a chance to prove himself on the international stage, especially at a major tournament. Despite being selected for France in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup squads, he failed to make a mark in the national team.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in which France went on to lift the coveted trophy, Dembele appeared in only six matches without finding the back of the net. Four years later, in Qatar, he started in all the matches for France and managed to get just two assists. However, he again failed to score a goal.
Meanwhile, in the 2026 World Cup, he is already running riot on the pitch. Dembele opened his account with a goal against Senegal. He then went on to score again against Iraq. With his hattrick against Norway, he now stands at five goals in three group-stage matches, making him one of the leading contenders for the Golden Boot.
France will face Sweden in the Round of 32.