Dembele Makes History with Rapid Hat-Trick
France forward Ousmane Dembele etched his name into FIFA World Cup history by becoming the first player to score a first-half hat-trick since Oleg Salenko in 1994. The achievement came during France's final group stage match against Norway at Foxborough on Friday.
Dembele's hat-trick, completed just 32 minutes into the game, is the second-fastest from kick-off in World Cup history. Only Erich Probst of Austria reached the milestone quicker, doing so in 24 minutes against Czechoslovakia at the 1954 tournament, according to OptaJoe.
Third French Player to Achieve the Feat
With this hat-trick, Dembele joins an elite list of French players who have scored a World Cup hat-trick: Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappe. The goal that completed his hat-trick was also notable as it was the first of the 182 scored at this World Cup to involve every outfield player in the build-up, as per OptaJoe.
Match Summary: France Leads 3-1 at Half-Time
France took an early lead when Dembele finished superbly in the seventh minute. He doubled the advantage in the 20th minute with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box. Norway responded immediately through Thelo Aasgaard just a minute later, but Dembele restored France's two-goal cushion with a powerful finish in the 32nd minute.
Fans were denied a showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, as Norway manager Stale Solbakken chose to rest 10 regular starters, including Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard.
