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FOXBOROUGH - Three months after France played against Brazil at Gillette Stadium in a friendly, it returned for its final group stage match of the World Cup.
The match with Norway, a 4-1 victory for Les Bleus, was a world-class showing from the French attack.
In the first 20 minutes alone, Kylian Mbappé assisted Ousmane Dembélé twice. Dembélé completed his hat trick in the 32nd minute.
Désiré Doué delivered the fourth and final goal for the French in the 94th minute.
Both sides now head to the Round of 32 with France as the No. 1 team in Group I, and Norway No. 2.
Ousmane Dembélé shines brightest
While the Golden Boot is far from being decided, Friday’s matchup was expected to feature two of its top contenders in Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
With Haaland on the bench for the matchup and Mbappé acting more as a playmaker, it was Dembélé who wowed with his goal scoring in the first half.
The reigning Ligue 1 Player of the Year, Dembélé needed just three shots for his three first-half goals.
Norway opts to rest starters
With a trip to the knockout rounds secured, Norway chose not to push its top players in the final group stage match. Friday’s starting lineup had 10 changes from the one against Senegal and it did not include Erling Haaland or Martin Ødegaard.
In terms of attacking play, there were some bright spots from Norway’s bench, particularly from Thelo Aasgaard and Andreas Schjelderup who combined for the team’s lone goal.
How this impacts Group I:
With both Group I matches ending at the same time, the final table for the group is now settled. Senegal’s 5-0 victory over Iraq gives it third place in the group behind France and Norway.
Group I
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 9 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Iraq | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
Cards:
Patrick Berg received the first yellow card of the contest in the 10th minute after taking down Michael Olise.
In the 74th minute, Aurélien Tchouaméni picked up a yellow after colliding with Aasgaard.
Next up:
With the group stage officially over, France and Norway will each go on to the Round of 32. France will next play a third-place team from Group C, D, F, G or H on Tuesday in New Jersey.
Norway’s Round of 32 matchup will be against Ivory Coast on the same day in Texas.
More World Cup 2026 Coverage
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- World Cup 2026: US gives up late goal, falls to Türkíye in final group stage match
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