France tear Norway apart: Dembélé hits 3 in first half

In the final Group I match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France lead Norway 3-1 away after an impressive first half. At the stadium in Foxborough, Ousmane Dembélé's three goals in the first 45 minutes carried France to a comfortable lead. Norway, who had secured qualification and took the field resting their stars, made wholesale rotation, leaving Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard on the bench.

France started like a storm. Cutting inside from the right flank to create danger from the very first minutes, Ousmane Dembélé left the Norway defense helpless with goals in quick succession. Scoring three goals, including one from an exquisite Kylian Mbappe pass, Dembélé completed his hat-trick in the first half to become the star of the night. France's attacking fluency and individual quality created a clear gap against a rotated Norway defense.

Norway found their moment of hope through Thelo Aasgaard's goal. When Aasgaard's shot went in off a deflection that wrong-footed keeper Mike Maignan, the score became 1-2 and the hosts tried to cling to the game. But France's superiority continued throughout the first half; names like Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Manu Koné also troubled the Norway goal frequently. In the second half, France are expected to keep control to secure top spot in the group, while Norway take risks to close the gap.

Image: Al Jazeera