Dembele hits historic hat-trick as France crush second string Norway | OneFootball

Ousmane Dembele became just the third French player to score a World Cup hat trick as France topped Group I with a convincing 4-1 win over Norway at Foxborough, Masachussetts Gillette Stadium.

Dembele joins Michel Platini and Kylian Mbappe in the annals of French football history after netting the competition’s second earliest three goal haul either side of a Thelo Aasgaard strike, before Desire Doue added a fourth late on.

The ex-Rennes starlet’s haul also represents just the sixth time a hat trick has been scored in the first half of the tournament, with the last of those also occurring in the USA via Oleg Salenko’s five-goal haul against Cameroon.

Having made ten changes from their win over Senegal there was always a possibility tonight’s clash could get away from Stole Solbakken’s men.

And rance gave their opponents a warning of what was to come after just 23 seconds, when Kylian Mbappe saw his angled thunderbolt tipped onto the bar by backup keeper Egil Selvik following slack defending from the much-changed Norway backline.

Had the Real Madrid man’s effort gone in, it would’ve been the third fastest World Cup goal ever and the fastest in this year’s competition.

Didier Deschamps side kept coming, and Manu Kone saw a powerful rising drive saved by Selvik less than four minutes later.

Even at such an early stage a French goal felt inevitable, and Dembele duly delivered when he wrongfooted Fredrik Bjorkan before hammering a fizzing effort into the right corner from 15 yards.

But Norway responded well to trailing in this year’s World Cup for the first time, as Jorgen Strand Larsen had an effort from distance tamely dealt with by Mike Maignan shortly afterwards.

Or so it seemed, for France duly came forward again via wonderful interplay from Mbappe and Michael Olise before the Bayern Munich man took one touch too many in the penalty area.

Strand Larsen then had Norway’s best chance of the game, but could only blaze a close-range volley over the bar following a peach of a ball from the left.

But as good as they were going forward Stole Solbakken’s side continued to look porous defensively, and Dembele fired in another sumptuous effort after Michael Oliver played advantage when assister Mbappe was dragged back by Leo Ostigaard.

Just when it look like Les Bleus might run away with the match, Thelo Aasgaard netted his sixth in nine international games with a spectacular long range strike of his own just 79 seconds later to give Norway hope against the run of play.

And the weakened Norweigans almost netted an improbable equaliser post-hydration break, but Strand Larsen was unable to take advantage of Andreas Schjelderup’s low cross into the box.

Just when it looked like Norway might pull of the unlikeliest of unlikely comebacks Dembele hit his hat trick with yet another pearler, after Jules Kounde’s clever run created space for the PSG talisman to curl home on his left foot. The effort marked four goals in a row from the former Barcelona forward’s last four touches.

Despite conceding three goals Selvik looked by far and away his side’s best player, and the Watford shot stopper got down well to save from Desire Doue following a horror backpass from Henrik Falchener before denying Kone for the second time when the Roma midfielder was through one-on-one.

Even amongst the French domination Norway continued to create opportunites of their own, and Aasgaard could’ve had a second had it not been for an audacious backheeled clearance by Dayot Upamecano.

Solbakken’s squad picked up where they left off after the restart and could’ve pulled one back within five minutes, but Strand Larsen’s penalty was easily saved after Theo Hernandez dragged back Oscar Bobb in the area.

But despite continuing to push during a pedestrian second half, the Vikings failed even to come close to clawing back the deficit.

And Desire Doue added one final insult to Norweigan injury with a bullet header by way of a gorgeous Mbappe cross.

Analysis: Dembele punishes much-changed Norway

With top spot in the group and a last 32 tie with inconsistent Sweden at stake, eyebrows were raised when Solbakken chose to rest almost the entire XI who started against Senegal.

And the ex-Blackburn boss’s doubters were quickly proved right when Dembele was allowed all the time in the world and acres of space to lash home his historic hat trick, before Doue added gloss on the scoreline with his late fourth.

Make no mistake, every one of these French goals were sensational, and Dembele’s strikes represent quite possibly the most beautiful three goal haul this event has ever seen.

But he really shouldn’t have been allowed to score even one of those attempts, let alone all of them.

Time and again a second string Norweigan backline looked like rabbits in headlights against the pace and directness of France’s attack, as the Nordic nation failed to adequately close down Didier Deschamps’ frightening frontline. Such was their attacking dominance that this easily could’ve been double figures had the two-time winners been more ruthless.

The natural temptation will be to blame tonight’s result on Solbakken’s changes, and understandably so.

Even with a weakened team the Landslaget had chances of their own, and it is hard to feel the likes of Haaland and Odegaard wouldn’t have exploited a France backline who themselves looked vulnerable. Certainly, Haaland would’ve been nailed on to net the penalty that his old Man City teammate Bobb missed.

But having shipped two goals against the Senegalese, and conceded even against lowly Iraq, it is clear this squad has serious defensive weaknesses which will be punished in the knockout stages if they remain unaddressed.

Thanks to their form in qualifying Norway have been hotly tipped as dark horses to win this year’s edition. But if they fail to address their frailties at the back, they will instead become a World Cup white elephant.

Having faced the tournament favourites, the Vikings now know what they need to work on ahead of that crunch clash against their Scandinavian rivals. The Red, White and Blue faithful can only watch and hope such lessons are put into action.

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