FRANCE secured top spot in Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over a heavily rotated Norway side, while Senegal kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive after thrashing 10-man Iraq 5-0 in the group’s final round of matches.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Ousmane Dembele stole the headlines with a sensational first-half hat-trick as France finished the group stage in style, while Senegal’s emphatic victory lifted the Lions of Teranga to third place in Group I and fifth among the tournament’s third-placed teams, leaving their qualification hopes dependent on results elsewhere.
Pre-match expectations of a blockbuster showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe were dashed when Norway manager Stale Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting line-up after already securing two group victories, with Manchester City striker Haaland among those rested.
Into that void stepped Dembele, who produced one of the finest individual displays of the tournament by scoring the second-fastest hat-trick in men’s World Cup history, netting three goals inside 32 minutes.
It was the first time a player had scored three first-half goals at a World Cup since Russia’s Oleg Salenko achieved the feat in 1994, while only Austria’s Erich Probst, who completed a treble in 24 minutes in 1954, has managed a quicker World Cup hat-trick from kick-off.
France assistant coach Guy Stephan, who took charge of the team following manager Didier Deschamps’ return home after the death of his mother, said Dembele had been partly motivated by criticism from the French media.
“Ousmane is a human being, just like anyone he can hear the criticism,” Stephan said. “He has unfortunately had injury issues but every time he comes back harder and harder. Three goals in a World Cup game is exceptional.”
France dominated from the opening whistle and deservedly took the lead after just seven minutes. Having won possession deep inside Norway’s half, Mbappe released Dembele on the right, and the Ballon d’Or winner cut inside before firing past goalkeeper Egil Selvik.
Dembele doubled France’s advantage in the 20th minute after finishing off a lightning-fast counterattack, once again cutting onto his favoured left foot before curling a superb effort into the far corner.
Norway responded just 79 seconds later as Rangers forward Thelo Aasgaard capitalised on hesitant French defending to reduce the deficit with a composed finish beyond Mike Maignan.
However, Dembele completed his remarkable hat-trick before half-time. Surrounded by four defenders, he again shifted onto his left foot and curled another magnificent effort beyond Selvik to move into contention for the tournament’s Golden Boot with his fourth goal of the competition.
Dembele was substituted after 65 minutes as France eased off in the second half, but Paris Saint-Germain teammate Desire Doue completed the scoring deep into stoppage time with a looping header to seal a comprehensive 4-1 victory.
Elsewhere, Senegal produced a near-flawless performance in Toronto, defeating Iraq 5-0 to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the World Cup round of 32.
The Lions of Teranga finished third in Group I with three points and climbed to fifth among the tournament’s third-placed teams. However, their fate remains dependent on results in other groups to determine whether they secure one of the eight available knockout places.
The victory also dealt a significant blow to Scotland’s qualification hopes, pushing them down to ninth among the third-placed teams, although later matches could still alter the standings.
Senegal made the perfect start, opening the scoring after only four minutes when Abdoulaye Seck’s header from a corner took a decisive deflection off Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra before beating Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
Iraq’s task became even more difficult nine minutes later when referee Anthony Taylor sent defender Rebin Sulaka off following a VAR review for bringing down Sadio Mane on the edge of the penalty area, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Although Mane tested Basil from the resulting free-kick, Senegal struggled to convert their dominance into further first-half goals despite desperately needing to improve their goal difference.
The breakthrough finally came in the 56th minute after former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal surrendered possession on the edge of his own penalty area, allowing Lamine Camara to square for Ismaila Sarr to tap into an empty net for 2-0.
Just three minutes later, substitute Pape Gueye made an immediate impact, curling a superb left-footed strike into the top corner to extend Senegal’s advantage.
The Villarreal midfielder grabbed his second goal of the evening in the 71st minute with another thunderous effort before fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout, making it 5-0 and giving Senegal hope that their impressive goal difference will be enough to earn a place in the knockout stage if results elsewhere go in their favour.
France now advance to the round of 32 as Group I winners, while Senegal must wait anxiously for the conclusion of the remaining group-stage matches to discover whether their emphatic victory has secured progression to the knockout rounds.