France beats Norway 4-1 in World Cup 2026 match

France Secures Top Spot in Group I with 4-1 Win Over Norway

Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick for France, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in the World Cup’s early stages. The Paris Saint-Germain forward opened the scoring in the seventh minute and added two more goals before Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back. Desire Doue completed the scoring late on, securing a 4-1 victory over Norway.

The match took place at Boston Stadium on Friday, with France advancing to the next round as Group I winners. The team has scored 10 goals in three games and will face a third-place finisher from another group at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday.

Norway, who also secured a spot in the knockout stage, made several changes to their starting lineup due to previous wins over Iraq and Senegal. France, on the other hand, was without Arsenal defender William Saliba, who rested a sore back, but Maxence Lacroix replaced him.

The match marked an emotionally charged day for France, as coach Didier Deschamps returned to his team after attending his mother’s funeral. The French squad will now await Deschamps’ return on Saturday.

In the second half, Norway had a penalty saved by goalkeeper Mike Maignan, but ultimately failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The match saw several notable performances from France’s players, including Dembele and captain Kylian Mbappe, who won his 101st cap and is now looking to add to his World Cup goals.

France will now proceed to the next round, while Norway will face Ivory Coast in Dallas next Tuesday.

Source: Al Jazeera