The China Mail - Dembele hits hat-trick as France thrash second-string Norway at World Cup

Paris Saint-Germain forward Dembele opened the scoring in the seventh minute at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, struck again on 20 minutes and, after Thelo Aasgaard had pulled one back, he made it 3-1 in the 32nd minute.

The only player to complete a hat-trick earlier in a World Cup match is Erich Probst, who got three inside the first 24 minutes for Austria against Czechoslovakia in 1954.

Dembele moves on to four goals at the tournament after also scoring in the 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday, and his display here will perhaps ease some of the pressure on captain Kylian Mbappe to always be France's match-winner.

Desire Doue completed the scoring late on, and the victory allowed France to end the group stage with the maximum nine points -- they have scored 10 goals in three games and advance as Group I winners.

France will now stay in the northeastern USA for a last-32 tie against a third-place finisher at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday.

It was an emotionally charged day for Les Bleus, who had to play this match without coach Didier Deschamps after he returned to France to attend his mother's funeral. Deschamps, who will step down at the end of the World Cup after 14 years in charge, is due back with his squad on Saturday.

Norway, who also saw Jorgen Strand Larsen have a penalty saved, go through in second place with six points, their progress already having been secured before this game thanks to wins over Iraq and Senegal.

That explains why coach Stale Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting line-up here following the 3-2 win over Senegal last time out.

- Haaland, Odegaard rested -

Haaland, captain Martin Odegaard and striker Alexander Sorloth were among the players rested, with Benfica's Fredrik Aursnes the only one retained.

The regulars will undoubtedly return in the next round, and Norway will take on Ivory Coast in Dallas next Tuesday.

France were without Arsenal defender William Saliba as he rested a sore back, so Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace replaced him. Doue, Theo Hernandez and Aurelien Tchouameni all returned.

However, Dembele and Mbappe both kept their places, with the latter winning his 101st cap and looking to add to his 16 World Cup goals and catch up with Lionel Messi's overall tournament record of 18.

But Dembele, a teammate of Mbappe's in the France team that won the 2018 World Cup, stole the headlines with his brilliant hat-trick.

Mbappe released the 29-year-old for the early opener, as Dembele cut in from the right, dropped a shoulder and went back onto his right foot before firing across goalkeeper Egil Selvik and in.

Dembele was transformed into a Ballon d'Or winner after Luis Enrique, his coach at PSG, moved him from the wing into a central role.

But he caused havoc here coming in from the right flank, scoring his second as he cut infield and curled a low shot on his left foot into the far corner.

Aasgaard, of Rangers, pulled one back straight from the restart with a low strike past goalkeeper Mike Maignan with the French defence having switched off.

But Dembele curled in his team's third, again on his left foot and into the same bottom corner, albeit this time from inside the area.

Three goals in the space of 25 first-half minutes is not the fastest hat-trick at a World Cup -- that record is held by Hungary's Laszlo Kiss, who needed less than eight minutes against El Salvador in 1982.

However, Dembele is now in illustrious company: the only previous French hat-tricks at the tournament were scored by Just Fontaine (twice in 1958) and Mbappe, who netted three in the 2022 final.

Norway could have pulled one back early in the second half after Oscar Bobb was tripped in the area by Hernandez, but Strand Larsen's spot-kick was poor and Maignan saved.

Doue then headed in France's fourth in stoppage time.

R.Lin--ThChM