Dembélé hat-trick fires France past Norway, Sweden await in Round of 32

Dembélé hat-trick seals group, Sweden next

France cruised past Norway 4–1 on Friday, locking up top spot in Group I (1). Ousmane Dembélé delivered the fastest World Cup hat-trick in 72 years, stepping up as the attack finally clicked (7). Kylian Mbappé added the fourth. Your team will face Sweden in the Round of 32 on Tuesday June 30 at East Rutherford, kickoff 23:00 (4).

Deschamps absent, Stephan steps up

Didier Deschamps missed the match after his mother passed away. Assistant Guy Stephan took charge and the squad delivered. "Obviously, all my thoughts go to Didier. I will call him later. We are all happy that he will be back with the team shortly. He will be at training tomorrow afternoon," Stephan said (3).

Norway rested Haaland and Ødegaard

Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard watched from the bench as Norway boss Ståle Solbakken opted to rest his stars. "It was a no-brainer, both on my part and from the physios and some players themselves," Solbakken said (12). Norway were already eliminated. France still had to take care of business, and they did.

Lorgeré: second half not good enough

French consultant Charlotte Lorgeré praised the result but warned about the drop-off after the break. "Satisfaite" but "déçue" by how the players eased off in the second half (8). That kind of lapse against Sweden could hurt.

Barcola leads the midfield debate

L'After weighed in on who starts in midfield for the knockouts: "Barcola est devant Doué et Cherki", Barcola is ahead of Doué and Cherki (6). With Deschamps returning, the lineup question is live.

Dembélé: stay locked in

Dembélé kept it short after his hat-trick. "Il faut rester concentré", we must stay focused (10). Three goals, no ego. The group stage was the warm-up.

Spain edge Uruguay, keep rolling

Spain beat Uruguay 1–0 with an Álex Baena goal, securing their Round of 16 spot (1). They are on the other side of the bracket for now, but a France–Spain collision would be the kind of night this tournament was built for.

Fan reactions

The bracket is set: France vs Sweden in the Round of 32. Reddit is already mapping out the knockout path, noting that Sweden got through as the third-place team from Group F, a matchup France should handle, but fans are wary of any Scandinavian side in a one-off tie. The debate over Barcola, Doué, and Cherki is also bubbling in the comments. Join the discussion