France put on a statement performance against Norway, cruising to a commanding 4-1 victory on Matchday 3 of Group I, fueled by a sensational display from Ousmane Dembélé. The Ballon d’Or holder bagged a clinical hat trick in the win, a feat that officially ties him to Cristiano Ronaldo and a small group of legends in an extremely rare World Cup milestone.
By scoring three times against Norway, Dembélé became only the fourth player in the entire history of the World Cup to score a hat trick while reigning as the Ballon d’Or holder.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward joins a highly exclusive circle of soccer royalty, alongside Eusébio, who scored four goals against North Korea in 1966, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who struck a hat trick against Chile in 1982, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who famously did the same against Spain in 2018.
The commanding victory allowed France to clinch top spot in Group I, leaving Norway in second place. In the Round of 32, Les Bleus will play on June 30 at New York New Jersey Stadium, where they will face Sweden.
Dembélé joins the Golden Boot race
Beyond the historic individual milestone, Dembélé’s hat trick also catapults the forward into the thick of the Golden Boot conversation. The Frenchman’s treble against Norway, added to his earlier goal against Iraq, lifts his tournament tally to four goals, pulling him level with Vinícius Júnior, Erling Haaland, and his own teammate Kylian Mbappé.
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Sitting just above that group is Lionel Messi, who continues to lead the race with five goals through Argentina’s group-stage campaign, a tally that has already pushed him past Miroslav Klose for the most goals scored across all World Cups in history.
With the group stage now wrapping up and the knockout rounds looming, the Golden Boot picture remains wide open. Dembélé’s surge means France could realistically have two legitimate contenders for the award, giving Les Bleus added incentive to go deep into the tournament.
