Dembélé’s hat trick guides France to a 4-1 victory over Norway as Haaland was rested
France won Group I Norway 4-1 with Ousmane Dembélé's hat trick as Erling Haaland was rested. With most groups already decided in the first round of the 2026 World Cup, Group I was set for an important match as Norway and France met to decide who finished first. However, France won 4-1 with Ousmane Dembélé‘s hat trick, as Norway rested most of their team, including Erling Haaland. In the first half, France dominated possession and constantly created danger whenever they wanted. Among the attacking players, one stood out more than the rest, as Dembélé scored three goals that nearly decided the match early, while Thelo Aasgaard had briefly cut the difference to one. For the rest of the match, not much else occurred. The moment that could have made it more competitive came early in the second half when Norway were awarded a penalty, but Mike Maignan saved a poor effort from Jørgen Strand Larsen. In the final minutes, Désiré Doué scored with a header to seal the result.
