
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.
Final whistle
90+5' The match comes to an end.
GOOOOOOOAL Désiré Doué for France
90+3' Bradley Barcola sends in a cross and Désiré Doué scores with a header to extend France’s lead.
Theo Hernández long-range shot
90+1' Theo Hernández shoots from distance, but the effort goes very high over the bar.
Added time
90' Five minutes of added time are given.
France substitutions
85' Kylian Mbappé comes off for Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jules Koundé comes off for Malo Gusto.
Norway substitutions
82' Oscar Bobb comes off for Jens Petter Hauge and Andreas Schjelderup comes off for Antonio Nusa.
France slow the tempo of the match
79' France keep possession and reduce the pace of the game, circulating the ball calmly and controlling the rhythm.
France substitution
76' Ibrahima Konaté comes on and Dayot Upamecano comes off for France.
Aurélien Tchouaméni yellow card for France
73' Aurélien Tchouaméni receives a yellow card.
Norway chance through Bobb
71' Norway recover the ball in the attacking third and switch play to Oscar Bobb, who goes one-on-one low, but the goalkeeper makes a very good save.
Play resumes
70' The match restarts after the hydration break.
Hydration break
67' The referee stops play for a hydration break.
Norway substitution
66' Henrik Falchener comes off and Sondre Langås comes on for Norway.
France double substitution
65' Ousmane Dembélé comes off for Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise is replaced by Rayan Cherki.
Oscar Bobb chance for Norway
63' Oscar Bobb cuts inside from the right, moves toward the middle and shoots low with his left foot, but the effort is very weak and easily handled.
Egil Selvik receives treatment for Norway
57' Egil Selvik is being attended to by the medical staff after going down.
Kylian Mbappé chance for France
55' Kylian Mbappé shoots from the edge of the box aiming for placement, and the ball goes just wide.
Corner chance for Norway through Østigård
54' Corner from Sander Berge on the left side taken with his right foot, and Leo Østigård’s header goes just wide of the post.
Oscar Bobb form improvement for Norway
53' Oscar Bobb continues to be very active on the right side for Norway, causing problems and pushing forward in attack.
Jørgen Strand Larsen penalty miss for Norway
49' Jørgen Strand Larsen takes a right-footed penalty to the left of the goalkeeper, but Mike Maignan saves it comfortably.
Penalty for Norway due to foul by Lucas Hernández on Oscar Bobb
48' Penalty awarded to Norway after Lucas Hernández fouls Oscar Bobb inside the box.
Second half begins
The second half gets underway.
Double substitution for Norway: Thorsby and Holmgren Pedersen in
45' Kristian Thorstvedt comes off for Morten Thorsby and Fredrik André Bjørkan is replaced by Marcus Holmgren Pedersen.
Half-time
45+5' The referee blows the whistle for half-time.
First-half stoppage time
45' The referee adds five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half.
Manu Koné chance for France
44' Manu Koné combines with Kylian Mbappé, then tries to dribble past the goalkeeper, but Egil Selvik reads it well and wins the ball.
Corner for Norway blocked by France
42' Norway take a corner from the left. The cross is headed, but Dayot Upamecano clears it. France start a counterattack, but Ousmane Dembélé’s low cross is blocked.
Désiré Doué chance for France
41' Norway lose the ball playing out from the back, and Désiré Doué gets it inside the penalty area. He tries to dribble past the goalkeeper, but Egil Selvik reads it well and wins the ball.
France control possession against Norway
38' France dominates with 63% of possession, controlling the tempo of the match.
Aurélien Tchouaméni chance for France
34' Ousmane Dembélé receives the ball on the right, cuts inside toward the middle, and lays it back to Aurélien Tchouaméni at the edge of the box, but his shot goes high over the bar.
GOAAAAAAL! Ousmane Dembélé scores for France
32' Ousmane Dembélé receives the ball inside the box on the right, cuts inside toward the middle, and finishes with his left foot into the corner for the goal.
Norway control of possession against France
30' Norway keeps possession for several minutes, while France stays compact.
Match resumes
26' The match restarts after the hydration break.
Hydration break
23' The match is temporarily stopped for a hydration break.
GOAAAAAAL! Thelo Aasgaard scores for Norway
20' A quick passing combination from the kickoff leaves Thelo Aasgaard on the edge of the box. He feints past Dayot Upamecano and fires a right-footed shot low into the corner past Mike Maignan.
GOAAAAAAL! Ousmane Dembélé scores for France
19' Michael Olise leads a counterattack and passes to Kylian Mbappé, who opens play to Ousmane Dembélé on the right. Dembélé cuts inside and shoots from outside the box with his left foot, placing it into the corner for the goal.
Kylian Mbappé denied by Egil Selvik for France
16' Désiré Doué assists Kylian Mbappé on the left. Mbappé cuts inside and shoots with his right foot toward the near post, but Egil Selvik makes the save.
Jørgen Strand Larsen chance for Norway
14' Jørgen Strand Larsen gets a bouncing ball inside the box, but his right-footed shot goes well over the bar.
Michael Olise chance blocked by Norway
12' France recover the ball high up the pitch. Kylian Mbappé plays a pass to Michael Olise on the left, who drives into the box and shoots across goal. The attempt is blocked by Leo Østigård.
Oscar Bobb tries from distance for Norway
10' Oscar Bobb strikes from long range, but Mike Maignan makes a comfortable save.
Patrick Berg booked for Norway
9' Patrick Berg is shown the yellow card for Norway.
GOAAAAAAL! Ousmane Dembélé scores for France
6' Kylian Mbappé plays a brilliant through ball to Ousmane Dembélé on the right. Dembélé cuts inside, then shifts the ball back onto his right before placing his finish inside the far post.
Manu Koné tests the Norway goalkeeper for France
3' Manu Koné controls a loose ball on his chest at the edge of the box before firing a shot that is well saved by Egil Selvik.
Kylian Mbappé hits the crossbar for France
1' Kylian Mbappé breaks free down the right and unleashes a powerful shot that strikes the crossbar and bounces near the goal line.
Kickoff
The match between Norway and France begins.
The referees
The referees for this match are Michael Oliver (main referee, England), Stuart Burt (assistant referee 1, England), James Mainwaring (assistant referee 2, England), Ma Ning (fourth official, China), Zhou Fei (reserve assistant referee, China), Jarred Gillett (video assistant referee, Australia) and David Coote (assistant video assistant referee, England).
Their group
These teams are in Group I with Senegal and Iraq. France are first with 6 points and a +5 goal difference, while Norway are second with 6 points and a +4 goal difference. Senegal are third with 0 points and a -3 goal difference, while Iraq are last with 0 points and a -6 goal difference.
France's list
Norway's list
Confirmed lineups
Norway: Selvik, Ostigard, Bjorkan, Falchener, Berg, Aursnes, Thorstvedt, Aasgaard, Schjelderup, Bobb, Stran Larsen.
France: Maignan, Kounde, Lacroix, Upamecano, Hernandez, Tchouameni, Kone; Dembele, Olise, Doue, Mbappe.
The stadium
The venue for this match is Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. It has a capacity of 65,878.
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