28 June,2026 09:08 AM IST | Foxborough | AFP
France’s Ousmane Dembele celebrates his goal against Norway in Foxborough on Friday. Pic/AFP
Ousmane Dembele produced his best ever World Cup performance with a stunning first-half hat-trick in France's 4-1 win over Norway on Friday, and then insisted it was his least impressive performance of this year's tournament so far.
The 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward showcased the lethal finishing which saw him win last year's Ballon d'Or as he netted three times in the space of 26 first-half minutes at the Gillette Stadium near Boston.
His goals, as well as a late Desire Doue header, allowed France to complete the first round with three wins out of three after earlier victories against Senegal and Iraq.
They progress to the last 32 as Group I winners, and there is clear evidence that France can be contenders to win the World Cup even if Kylian Mbappe is not scoring the goals.
"This is a unique and important moment for me. But I preferred how I played against Senegal or against Iraq. I was much more influential in those games, so I think we need to stay fully concentrated because we have important things ahead of us," Dembele claimed.
Dembele's focus was striking, almost as impressive as his finishing, as he scored only the fourth hat-trick by a France player at a World Cup after Just Fontaine (twice) and Kylian Mbappe.
But Dembele had never scored a World Cup goal before breaking his duck on his 13th tournament appearance, in last Monday's 3-0 win over Iraq on a stormy evening in Philadelphia. Against Norway he displayed his ability to score with both feet, his first goal coming with his right, and his next two with his left.
4
No of consecutive World Cup matches in which France have scored three or more goals - the joint-longest run for any team
6
Ousmane Dembele is the sixth player to score a first-half hat-trick at the World Cup. He is the first to do so since Russia's Oleg Salenko in 1994
