Ousmane Dembele scored the first hat-trick of his international career as France thrashed Norway 4-1 on Friday to complete a perfect Group I campaign at the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
With both teams already through to the Round of 32, only the top spot was at stake. Norway manager Stale Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting line-up, resting key stars Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, and France took full advantage.
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The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner struck in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes to register his first hat-trick for Les Bleus and move to four goals for the tournament.
His treble was the first first-half World Cup hat-trick since Russia’s Oleg Salenko scored three of his five goals against Cameroon in 1994. It also ranked as the second-fastest hat-trick from kick-off in World Cup history, behind Austria’s Erich Probst in 1954. Related News World Cup: Senegal thrash Iraq 5-0 to keep round of 32 hopes alive Yamal’s return sparks Spain to 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia Malaysia's Palm Oil Council eyes Nigeria expansion as demand grows
