Dembélé's Party: 4 Lessons from France's Great Victory Over Norway in the World Cup

Friday's game, which was worth the leadership of Group I, was a true show – led by maestro Ousmane Dembélé and his three goals – where France beat Norway 4-1 and achieved their third consecutive victory. This is the first time that Les Bleus have won every group stage match since 1998, when they became champions. Even without coach Didier Deschamps, who returned to France after the death of his mother, the team showed why they are favorites for the title.

As a result, Group I winners France must face Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium. For Norway, it was an acceptable defeat. The Norwegians conceded four goals but played an alternative team where Stale Solbakken made many changes, including leaving striker Erling Haaland and midfielder Martin Ødegaard on the bench. Even so, the team managed to create chances, even with a missed penalty. Now, they are preparing to face Ivory Coast in the 32nd round.

Here are my lessons: 1. Ousmane Dembélé has finally arrived After failing to make an impact in major international competitions (19 games without scoring), Dembélé now has four goals in this World Cup. The PSG star and 2025 Ballon d'Or winner is in contention for the Golden Shoe, equal to his teammate Kylian Mbappé. This was a signature performance for Dembélé. When they give him space in the box, and he cuts onto his left foot, there's no stopping him, and that happened constantly. Norway made a big mistake by leaving him free, and he continued to punish the opposing defense. His hat-trick was the second fastest in history for a World Cup starter (32 minutes), behind only Erich Probst of Austria in 1954.


2. Right Decision to Leave Haaland Out? It makes sense that Solbakken rested his starters, including Haaland, to ensure the team was fresh for the knockout stages. But there is something called momentum and confidence, did he make the right choice? Yes. Norway was prepared for any outcome. After the 3-2 win over Senegal, Haaland commented on France's domination, giving a refreshingly honest answer about his team's chances. "Honestly, I don't really care [about the France game]. We got through, which is amazing… so I don't really care about that game right now. They [France] are probably going to beat us, and they're probably going to win the whole tournament." This is not a defeatist view, it is a realistic view. Norway are a good team, but they don't have the depth of France; If you lose to a team like France, you can almost say goodbye to a strong and historic run. Furthermore, with an alternative team against a giant like France, Norway still created good chances, including a missed penalty. This is encouraging. If there's one team that can deal with defeat and get back on their feet quickly, it's Norway.

3. France Shows Why the Team Is Defeated After the victory over Norway, the two-time world champions finished the group stage in perfect fashion, winning all three games. This could bode well as the last time he achieved this was in 1998 when he won the competition. Naturally, in 2018, he also won the tournament, but at the time he did not win all of his group stage matches. However,In this edition, France is increasingly stronger, as the entire cast knows their role. How do you stop this team when you have Mbappé up front, Michael Olise right behind, Désiré Doué on the left... and, if you choose to focus on the right, there's Dembélé? That kind of devastating offensive talent shouldn't be cool. The wealth of options is truly overwhelming for any team in this tournament. Yes, they are still fine-tuning some things defensively – France were caught sleeping on Norway's only goal – but there is no denying that France's offensive strength outweighs any defensive vulnerability.

4. An Emotional Day with Deschamps Absent Didier Deschamps is one of the longest-serving coaches in international football, having been in charge of France since 2012. His presence was felt throughout the game, as he returned to France following the death of his mother, giving Friday's day important significance. "On behalf of the entire France team, the France family, we extend our condolences to the coach and his family," midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said before the match, speaking from the team camp. "This is a difficult time for everyone. We try to make things normal, but we have a mission, and we want to do you proud." And the Real Madrid midfielder did just that, putting in a strong performance in midfield under the guidance of assistant Guy Stephan. "He gave us a mission, both for the coaching staff and the players. Guy will follow the coach's instructions. We will continue to respect our principles of play. We are confident that we will do everything we can to win."

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