Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele put on a breathtaking first-half masterclass, netting a sensational hat-trick to power France to a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway at the Gillette Stadium on Friday. With this dominant win, Les Bleus maintained their perfect record to top Group I, while Norway advanced to the Round of 32 as group runners-up.The match began at a frantic pace, with French captain Kylian Mbappe rattling the crossbar just 21 seconds into the game after an explosive sprint up the right wing. France did not have to wait long for the breakthrough, as Dembélé opened the account in the seventh minute, latching onto a precise pass from Mbappé and blasting a right-footed strike past Norwegian goalkeeper Egil Selvik.Dembélé doubled the cushion in the 20th minute, weaving between three defenders at the edge of the box before unleashing a brilliant left-footed drive. In a stunning response, Norway struck back just 14 seconds after the restart when midfielder Thelo Aasgaard found the back of the net to make it 2-1. However, Dembélé crushed the brief Norwegian resurgence in the 32nd minute, restoring the two-goal cushion to complete the first first-half World Cup hat-trick since Russia’s Oleg Salenko in 1994.Norway rested ten regular starters for this fixture, most notably leaving talismanic striker Erling Haaland on the bench for the entire ninety minutes to preserve him for the knockouts. Selvik started in goal in place of Orjan Nyland as part of the wholesale changes.Despite the structural shifts, Norway earned a massive lifeline in the 49th minute when Theo Hernandez tripped Oscar Bobb inside the penalty area. However, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s penalty was expertly batted away by Mike Maignan. Youngster Bobb remained a constant threat in the second half, but a solid French defense stood firm.Dembélé left the pitch to a standing ovation in the 65th minute, replaced by Bradley Barcola. The Paris Saint-Germain substitutes combined beautifully in second-half injury time, with Barcola turning provider for Desire Doue, who headed home France’s final goal to cap off a historic evening in Foxborough.
