Sports
Ousmane Dembélé scored a brilliant first-half hat-trick as France national football team defeated Norway national football team 4-1
on Friday to finish top of Group I at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Senegal national football team kept their knockout hopes alive with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq national football team.
Dembélé struck in the 7th, 20th and 32nd minutes to extend France's perfect start to the tournament. Although Thelo Aasgaard briefly pulled one back for Norway, France remained in control throughout. Jørgen Strand Larsen missed a penalty early in the second half before Désiré Doué sealed the victory with a stoppage-time goal.
The match had been billed as a showdown between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, but Haaland remained on the bench, allowing Dembélé to steal the spotlight.
Before kick-off, both teams observed a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the devastating Venezuela earthquakes. France were also playing under emotional circumstances after coach Didier Deschamps stepped away from the squad earlier in the week following the death of his mother.
France advance to the Round of 32 as Group I winners and will face one of the tournament's eight best third-placed teams. Norway also progress and are set to face Ivory Coast national football team in Dallas on June 30.
Senegal boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stage by overwhelming Iraq 5-0. The win gave Senegal their first three points of the tournament, but they must now wait for results from other groups to determine whether they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Elsewhere on Friday:
Spain national football team need only a draw against Uruguay national football team to secure first place in Group H, while Uruguay require at least a point to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Cape Verde national football team face Saudi Arabia national football team hoping to continue their impressive World Cup run.
In Group G, Egypt national football team meet Iran national football team in Seattle amid controversy surrounding local Pride celebrations, which both nations' officials criticized.
Belgium national football team, led by Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, take on New Zealand national football team in a must-win match for a place in the knockout stage.
