France Crush Norway 4-1 as Ousmane Dembele's Record Hat-Trick Seals Group 'I' Glory at FIFA World Cup 2026
Ousmane Dembele scored a record-breaking hat-trick as France defeated Norway 4-1 to finish top of Group I. Senegal also stayed in contention for the Round of 32 with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq.
June 27, 2026: France ended the group stage in style with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway to secure the top spot in Group I at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Ousmane Dembele was the star of the night, producing a sensational first-half performance. The French forward scored in the 7th, 20th, and 32nd minutes to complete a hat-trick in just 32 minutes. It was the fastest World Cup hat-trick in the last 72 years. Desire Doue, who returned to the starting XI, added France's fourth goal in stoppage time to seal an impressive win.
Dembele's brilliant display left the Norwegian defence with no answers throughout the first half. Norway did pull one goal back in the 21st minute through midfielder Thelo Aasgaard, who finished from inside the box. The visitors had another golden chance to score after the break when they were awarded a penalty in the 50th minute. However, Jorgen Strand Larsen's weak effort was comfortably saved by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, allowing France to maintain complete control of the match.
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β Real Talk Daily β π ποΈ (@relatable_tgh) June 27, 2026
Norway Through Despite Heavy Defeat, Senegal Stay Alive
Norway surprised many fans by leaving star striker Erling Haaland on the bench despite his four goals in the previous two matches. The team also made 10 changes to the starting lineup, choosing to rest several regular players after already securing qualification for the knockout stage. The decision backfired as France dominated from the opening whistle. Despite the defeat, Norway finished second in Group I with six points and qualified for the Round of 32, where they will face Group E runners-up Ivory Coast.
The other Group I fixture saw Senegal produce a dominant performance against Iraq, winning 5-0 to keep their knockout hopes alive. Iraq's task became even more difficult after defender Rebin Sulaka received a red card in the 13th minute, reducing his side to 10 men for most of the game. Senegal made full use of the numerical advantage and scored five goals to significantly improve their goal difference.
France completed the World Cup group stage with a 100 percent record after beating Norway 4-1 in their final Group Nine match.
Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick before Desire Doue added a fourth in stoppage time, while Thelo Aasgaard scored Norway's only goal.
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β Gulf Times (@GulfTimes_QATAR) June 27, 2026
The victory gave Senegal three points from three matches and strengthened their chances of progressing as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams. They finished the group stage with eight goals scored and a goal difference of +2, which could prove crucial in the race for the remaining knockout spots.
France completed a perfect group-stage campaign with three wins from three matches to finish on nine points. Norway claimed second place with six points, while Senegal finished third with three points and now await the results from other groups to learn whether they have qualified. Iraq ended their campaign without a single point after losing all three matches and were eliminated from the tournament.
