Report, result and goals as Les Bleus complete an unblemished group stage
France secured top spot in Group I with a convincing 4-1 win over Norway at the Boston Stadium, producing one of their best World Cup performances to date.
Ousmane Dembele was the star of the game, scoring a first-half hat-trick before Desire Doue added a fourth late in a comfortable day for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Despite Norway having already qualified for the knockout stages and circling a lot, France were ruthless and rarely looked concerned, with Norway’s brief response threatening to make the tournament.
France rushes to be the commander
France almost opened the scoring in the first minute when Kylian Mbappe burst through and fired a shot under the post, forcing goalkeeper Mathias Selvik to make a save.
The warning signs were there in Norway and France and they quickly took advantage. In the seventh minute, Mbappe turned the game around and played well for Dembele, who drove into the area before firing a powerful right-footed effort past Selvik to make it 1-0.
Norway struggled to contain the pace and pace of the French attack and doubled the lead after 20 minutes. Mbappe turned provider again, sliding a pass into Dembele’s path after continuing despite a shirt-pull from Leo Ostigard. The Paris Saint-Germain striker cut inside and curled a fine strike into the far corner.
Any first-half hopes were dashed after a minute when Andreas Schjelderup found Thelo Aasgaard, who worked himself calmly before slotting into the bottom corner to reduce the deficit.
France quickly regained control. Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute after collecting Aurelien Tchouameni’s ball on the edge of the box. Once again he was given too much space, and he punished Norway by curling another superb finish past Selvik to make it 3-1.
Norway missed a chance to come back
Norway were given a good chance to get back into the game shortly after the break. Oscar Bobb turned from Theo Hernandez inside the penalty area and was brought down by the French defender, prompting referee Michael Oliver to hesitate to point the ball.
However, Jorgen Strand Larsen wasted this opportunity. His dubious penalty was not avoided and Mike Maignan survived with a free on the left, defending France’s two-goal lead.
That miss effectively ended Norway’s hopes. Although Bobb stayed alive and created another chance by running in behind, his effort was headed straight for Maignan.
Doue caps to win comfort
With the result settled, France made a number of late changes, including withdrawing Dembele and Mbappe to retain key players ahead of the knockout rounds.
Norway continued to push forward but struggled to create clear-cut chances, while France were always dangerous on the attack. Theo Hernandez fired late, while Bradley Barcola caused problems down the left after coming off the bench.
The final flourish came during the suspension. Barcola delivered an inviting cross from the left and substitute Desire Doue got up well to head into the top right corner, making it 4-1.
