Ousmane Dembele produced a brilliant first-half hat-trick as France swept to a third straight win, easing past a rotated Norway side 4-1 with Erling Haaland watching from the bench.
The manner of the victory, which confirmed France as winners of Group I and currently sets up a Round of 32 meeting with Sweden, only strengthened their credentials as one of the leading contenders for the trophy.
Norway, who saw Jorgen Strand Larsen fail to convert a second-half penalty, will meet Ivory Coast in the opening knockout round. Still, many spectators were left disappointed after being denied the much-hyped showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Haaland, two of the competition’s marquee forwards.
Dembele’s treble took his World Cup tally to four goals, placing him firmly in the Golden Boot conversation. Desire Doue then rounded off France’s emphatic night by scoring their fourth deep into stoppage time.
Ousmane Dembele delivered a Ballon d’Or-level performance with a hat-trick against Norway
The PSG forward was the standout performer in Boston on a night billed for other stars
Why are France favourites?
Across their last two outings, against Iraq and Norway, France have looked electrifying. Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin likened them to the Harlem Globetrotters of this tournament, a description that neatly reflects the flair and spectacle they are bringing.
When France surge forward, they combine startling pace with dazzling close control. While Mbappe naturally attracts much of the spotlight, this performance was another reminder that Didier Deschamps’ side are anything but a one-man team.
Dembele is the reigning holder of the Ballon d’Or and he played like it. Pity the poor defences who play against those two when they are in this kind of form. Pity the poor defences who have to play against Michael Olise when he is in this kind of form. France have so many attacking weapons, it is difficult to know which way to look.
Does Norway manager Stale Solbakken deserve criticism for resting 10 players, including Haaland, for the game?
The decision ruined the narrative surrounding the game and spread a wave of disappointment around the ground. Given this is a team that had not qualified for the World Cup for 28 years and whose fans had travelled here in their thousands to see their talisman play, it was hard for them, and for a worldwide audience, not to feel cheated of a great spectacle.
In Solbakken’s defence, Norway do not have the squad depth France enjoy and, in terms of the quality of opposition ahead, it appears to make very little difference whether you finish first or second in Group I. The group winner’s path to the final currently includes Sweden in the Round of 32 and then possible fixtures against Germany, Holland and Spain.
The runners-up route will feature Ivory Coast next, and then perhaps, Brazil, England and Argentina. So Solbakken made his choice and we found out what it would have been like to be at the gunfight at the OK Corral only to discover someone had tied Wyatt Earp to a chair and left him in the saloon. If Norway beat Ivory Coast, it will vindicate Solbakken’s decision.
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Kylian Mbappe (left) turned provider for Dembele while Erling Haaland (left) was rested
Was it a smart decision then?
Probably. We’ll never know but it is unlikely that Norway would have beaten France even with Haaland and the rest of their first team on the pitch. It felt as if it went against the spirit of the competition to rest so many players but their first-choice team will be fresh for Ivory Coast. If they go deep in the competition, it will be hailed as a brave move.
Is Dembele in the race for the Golden Boot, too?
Absolutely. One of the most impressive things about France’s victory over Iraq in Philadelphia was the way in which Dembele unselfishly squared the ball to Mbappe for Mbappe’s second goal when Dembele could have scored himself. That pointed to a good relationship between the two of them and a decent spirit within the squad.
Mbappe repaid the favour tonight, laying on two of Dembele’s three goals. Only Lionel Messi has more than the French pair at the moment and if France go all the way to the final, both of them may have a decent shot at overhauling him.
Dembele, teed up twice by Mbappe in the first half, lit up a game played with glorious abandon
Dembele had been in the shadows to start this tournament but now has his crowning moment
Do you feel cheated?
It’s hard to feel cheated after a game like that. Sure, we were denied the spectacle of Haaland v Mbappe but the teams still produced one of the most entertaining matches of the World Cup so far and Dembele scored the fastest hat-trick at the tournament for 72 years, the second-fastest of all time.
Norway may have effectively ducked out of the contest but many of the supporters who were in the Gillette Stadium on Friday will have left it feeling that they just witnessed the next world champions in action.
Where does this leave the Golden Boot race?
It strengthens Messi’s position. If he plays against Jordan in Dallas on Saturday, there is every reason to think that he will add to his tally of five goals and move clear of the players, including Dembele, Mbappe and Haaland, who have all scored four.
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