Dembele's hat-trick leads France to rout Norway and top World Cup group
Ousmane Dembele’s stunning first-half hat-trick secured France’s victory over Norway on Friday in Boston, allowing France to finish at the top of their World Cup group with a perfect record, Qazinform News Agency reports citing FIFA.
Dembele scored in the 7th, 20th, and 32nd minutes, completing the second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history. His performance helped France win all three group-stage matches, a feat not seen since their 1998 championship.
Norway's Thelo Aasgaard briefly narrowed the gap after France's second goal, but the Norwegians could not mount a comeback, especially after Jorgen Strand Larsen missed a second-half penalty. The match concluded 4-1, with Desire Doue scoring his first World Cup goal in stoppage time.
Both teams had already secured their spots in the knockout stage before kickoff and were competing for the group's top spot. Norway rested several key players, including striker Erling Haaland, while France extended their winning streak to maintain their first-place standing.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that on the sixth day of the FIFA World Cup, several tournament favorites made strong starts to their campaigns, with France and Norway securing convincing victories in their opening matches and Messi's hat-trick leading Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria.