June 27, 2026
France's World Cup players wanted to do something special to show support for coach Didier Deschamps after the death of his mother and they did just that with an emphatic 4-1 win over Norway on Friday, assistant national coach Guy Stephan said.
"Obviously all my thoughts go to Didier. I will call him later. We are all happy that he will be back with the team shortly. He will be at training tomorrow afternoon," Stephan told reporters.
With Deschamps back home for his mother's funeral, France cruised to victory thanks to a first-half hat-trick by Ousmane Dembele and a stoppage-time header from Desire Doue.
Both teams had already qualified for the first knockout round of the tournament but France were determined to top the group to avoid a more hectic travel schedule ahead.
