France secured top spot in Group I with a convincing 4-1win over Norway at Boston Stadium, producing one of their most complete performances of the World Cup so far.
Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show, scoring a first-half hat-trick before Desire Doue added a late fourth to cap a comfortable evening for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Despite Norway having already qualified for the knockout stages and rotating heavily, France were ruthless and rarely looked troubled, with only a brief Norwegian response threatening to make a contest of the match.
France race into commanding lead
France almost opened the scoring inside the first minute when Kylian Mbappe burst through and crashed a shot against the underside of the crossbar, forcing goalkeeper Mathias Selvik into an excellent save.
The warning signs were there for Norway and France soon took advantage. In the seventh minute, Mbappe switched play brilliantly to Dembele, who drove into the area before firing a powerful right-footed effort beyond Selvik to make it 1-0.
Norway struggled to contain the pace and movement of France’s attack and the lead was doubled after 20 minutes. Mbappe again turned provider, slipping a pass into Dembele’s path after continuing despite a shirt pull from Leo Ostigard. The Paris Saint-Germain winger cut inside and curled a superb strike into the far corner.
Any hopes of a one-sided first half were briefly interrupted just a minute later when Andreas Schjelderup found Thelo Aasgaard, who calmly worked space for himself before driving a low effort into the bottom corner to reduce the deficit.
France quickly restored control. Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute after collecting Aurelien Tchouameni’s pass on the edge of the box. Once again he was afforded too much space, and he punished Norway by bending another excellent finish beyond Selvik to make it 3-1.
Norway miss chance to mount comeback
Norway were handed a golden opportunity to get back into the match shortly after half-time. Oscar Bobb twisted away from Theo Hernandez inside the penalty area and was brought down by the French full-back, giving referee Michael Oliver no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
However, Jorgen Strand Larsen wasted the chance. His hesitant penalty lacked conviction and Mike Maignan comfortably saved low to his left, preserving France’s two-goal advantage.
That miss effectively ended Norway’s hopes. Although Bobb remained lively and created another chance for himself with a clever run in behind, his effort was directed straight at Maignan.
Doue caps comfortable victory
With the result already settled, France made several late changes, including withdrawing Dembele and Mbappe to preserve key players ahead of the knockout rounds.
Norway continued to push forward but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, while France remained dangerous whenever they attacked. Theo Hernandez fired over late on, and Bradley Barcola caused problems down the left after coming off the bench.
The final flourish arrived in stoppage time. Barcola delivered an inviting cross from the left and fellow substitute Desire Doue rose brilliantly to guide a header into the top-right corner, sealing a 4-1 win.
