France thrashes Norway to secure World Cup group leadership

France concluded the first phase of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a resounding 4-1 victory against Norway, clinching the top spot in Group I. Despite the absence of head coach Didier Deschamps due to his mother's passing, the team, under interim coach Guy Stéphan, showed no signs of faltering.

Kylian Mbappé nearly opened the scoring within the first minute, hitting the crossbar. Norway, playing without star striker Erling Haaland, struggled to contain the French attack. Ousmané Dembélé was the standout performer, netting a quick brace in the 6th and 19th minutes. Though Norway managed a brief response through Thelo Aasgaard in the 20th minute, Dembélé completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, assisted by Aurélien Tchouaméni, to give France a commanding lead.

In the second half, Norway had a chance to get back into the game when a penalty was awarded for a foul by Theo Hernández. However, French goalkeeper Mike Maignan made a crucial save to deny Jorgen Larsen in the 50th minute. As the intensity of the match waned, late in stoppage time, Bradley Barcola delivered a precise cross for Desire Doué to head home in the 94th minute, sealing France's comprehensive win.

With this result, France advances as group leaders and will face a third-placed team on July 2nd in the round of 16. Norway secures second place in the group and is set to play against Costa de Marfil on June 30th. Meanwhile, Senegal's 5-0 victory over Iraq places them third in their group, awaiting other results to see if they can qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

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