France vs Norway World Cup result: Master class Dembele leads France past Norway to seal Group I in style

In an electrifying first half, Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick to lead France to a decisive 4-1 victory over Norway. (AP photo) Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele produced a breathtaking first-half masterclass to score a sensational hat-trick to power France to an impressive 4-1 victory over Norway at the Gillette Stadium on Friday. With this dominant victory, Les Bleus maintained their perfect record in the first Group I, while Norway progressed to the round of 32 as the runners-up of the second group.The game started at a frantic pace when France captain Kylian Mbappe rattled the crossbar just 21 seconds into the game after an explosive sprint down the right wing. France did not wait long, Dembélé opened the scoring in the seventh minute, who caught a precise pass from Mbappé and shot past the Norwegian goalkeeper Egil Selvik with his right hand.Dembélé doubled the cushion in the 20th minute, weaving between three defenders on the edge of the box before unleashing a brilliant left-footed drive. In a stunning reply, Norway hit 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 a brief Norwegian revival in the 32nd minute to restore the two-goal cushion and complete the first first-half World Cup hat-trick since Russia’s Oleg Salen in 1994.Norway rested ten regular starters in this game, notably leaving talismanic striker Erling Haaland on the bench for the full ninety minutes to preserve him for the knockouts. Selvik started in goal in place of Orjan Nyland as part of wholesale changes.Despite the structural shifts, Norway earned a massive lifeline in the 49th minute when Theo Hernandez tripped Oscar Bobb in the penalty area. However, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s penalty was expertly saved 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 thunderous applause 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 in France’s final goal to cap a historic evening in Foxborough.