Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show with a stunning first half hat-trick as France sealed top spot in Group I with a 4-1 win over Norway.
Both sides went into the clash in search of a win to top the group, but it was France who grabbed maximum points to seal top spot.
Meanwhile, Norway, who finished second, will now face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 following the defeat.
First half: Dembele hat-trick against Haaland-less Norway
Norway’s lineup for the clash caught many by surprise, with Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth all left out of the lineup and dropped on the bench.
Related: Didier Deschamps make World Cup history after France’s win over Norway
Just 22 seconds into the game, Kylian Mbappe – chasing Lionel Messi’s all-time goalscoring record at the FIFA World Cup struck the goalpost with an effort.
They were eventually ahead in the seventh minute as Norway’s second string side failed to cope with their intensity. Mbappe found Dembele with a superb ball and the PSG attacker fired in an unstoppable effort to give France the lead.
Jorgen Strand Larsen then fired over, before Mbappe was denied by Egil Selvik. However, their lead was two soon after as the combination that found the first scored the second once more, with Dembele scoring his third goal of the World Cup so far.
Norway pulled one back immediately after through Aasgaard, but Dembele soon completed his hat-trick to give France breathing space as the first half ended 3-1.
Second half: Larsen misses penalty, Doue rounds off scoring
Just few seconds into the second half, Norway were handed a way back into the game as Oscar Bobb was fouled by Theo Hernandez inside the area. Larsen stepped up to take the penalty in Haaland’s absence but his weak effort was well saved by Mike Maignan.
Doue then completed scoring in the second half stoppage time after heading home from a Bradley Barcola cross to seal a comprehensive win for France who finished top of the group.
What Next?
Norway will face Ivory Coast, who also finished second in their group in the Round of 32. France, on the other hand, will face Sweden or one of Egypt, Iran and Belgium in their own Round of 32 affair.
