Dembele's Historic Hat-Trick in World Cup 2026
Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, scored a stunning first-half hat-trick for France in their final group stage match against Norway at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Friday. Despite this historic achievement, Dembele stated that he still prefers his earlier World Cup outings against Senegal and Iraq.
Dembele's Preference for Earlier Performances
Speaking to M6 outlet as quoted by Goal.com, Dembele said, 'I am happy, it is a unique and important moment for me. My performance was good, but I preferred my match against Senegal or against Iraq - I think I was much more influential. We have to stay focused; important things are on the horizon.'
Details of the Match
France led Norway 3-1 at halftime. Dembele opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a superb finish, then doubled the lead with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box in the 20th minute. Norway responded immediately through Thelo Aasgaard just a minute later, but Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with a powerful finish to restore France's two-goal cushion.
Historic First-Half Hat-Trick
According to OptaJoe, Dembele became the first player to score a first-half hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup since Oleg Salenko in 1994. His hat-trick, completed in 32 minutes, is the second fastest in World Cup history, behind Erich Probst's 24-minute hat-trick for Austria against Czechoslovakia in 1954.
Dembele's Previous World Cup Performances
Dembele played well alongside captain Kylian Mbappe in the opening 3-1 win against Senegal, and scored in the 66th minute of the 3-0 victory over Iraq. He is the third French player to score a World Cup hat-trick, joining Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappe.
Unique Team Effort
OptaJoe also noted that Dembele's hat-trick goal was the first of 182 scored at this World Cup to involve all 11 French players in the build-up.
Dembele's Post-Match Comments
Dembele added, 'It was an important match to finish top of the group. We want to win every game, and we are going to stay focused because what lies ahead is going to be even more difficult. There are quality players on the pitch, and even on the bench. And with communication, it makes things easier. We understand each other better, so that is good; we need to keep it up.'
Absence of Key Players
Fans were denied the anticipated showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, as Norway manager Stale Solbakken rested 10 regular starters, including Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard.
