Dembélé dazzles with World Cup hat-trick as France cruise past Norway

Ousmane Dembélé produced a spectacular World Cup performance, scoring a first-half hat-trick as France defeated Norway 4-1 and continued their impressive tournament campaign.

The French attacker struck three times before halftime, including one goal created by Kylian Mbappé, turning the match into a celebration of France’s attacking power.

Dembélé’s goals arrived in the seventh, 20th, and 32nd minutes, marking the first first-half World Cup hat-trick since Russia’s Oleg Salenko achieved the feat against Cameroon at the 1994 tournament in the United States.

France added a fourth goal deep into stoppage time through Désiré Doué to complete a commanding victory.

Mbappé and Dembélé combine to tear apart Norway

France wasted almost no time threatening.

Mbappé nearly opened the scoring just 21 seconds after kickoff, racing down the right side before firing a powerful effort that crashed against the crossbar.

The warning was immediate.

Moments later, Dembélé found the breakthrough.

The forward received a pass from Mbappé in space and calmly fired a right-footed shot across goalkeeper Egil Selvik, giving France an early advantage.

The goal was only the beginning.

Three goals in 25 minutes put France in control

Dembélé doubled the lead in the 20th minute with a moment of individual brilliance.

Finding room between three defenders near the top of the penalty area, he created enough space to unleash a left-footed strike that beat Selvik despite the goalkeeper’s full-stretch dive.

Norway briefly threatened to change the momentum.

Just after the restart, Thelo Aasgaard scored only 14 seconds after play resumed following Dembélé’s second goal, cutting France’s advantage to 2-1.

But France responded immediately.

Less than nine minutes later, Dembélé completed his hat-trick, restoring the two-goal cushion and ending Norway’s hopes of a comeback.

A record-breaking night for France’s star

The performance continued a remarkable year for Dembélé, who won the Ballon d'Or 2025 as Europe’s top player.

He now has four goals at this World Cup and has increased his international tally to eight.

After completing his masterpiece, Dembélé left the match in the 65th minute and was replaced by Bradley Barcola.

His influence, however, had already decided the outcome.

Norway miss chances to fight back

Norway had opportunities to make the match competitive.

In the 49th minute, France defender Theo Hernández was penalized for tripping Oscar Bobb inside the box, giving Norway a penalty chance.

Jørgen Strand Larsen stepped forward, but his attempt toward the right corner was pushed away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

That save preserved France’s advantage and allowed them to control the remainder of the contest.

Mbappé continues World Cup dominance

While Dembélé stole the headlines, Mbappé continued building his extraordinary World Cup record.

The French captain now has 16 goals and four assists in 17 World Cup appearances.

He scored twice in France’s victories over Senegal and Iraq, and his creativity against Norway once again highlighted his importance to the team.

France advance as Norway secure second place

France entered the match already guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds, while Norway had also secured progression before kickoff.

Despite the defeat, Norway finished second in the group and moved into the round of 32.

France, the 2018 champions and runners-up four years later, now head toward the knockout stage with confidence and one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacks.

Dembélé’s unforgettable first-half burst served as a powerful reminder: the defending contenders remain a major threat.