Dembele hat-trick as France swat Norway, Senegal stay alive
LOS ANGELES: Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick as France powered past Norway 4-1 to clinch top spot in World Cup Group I on Friday as Senegal kept their hopes of a last-32 spot alive with a thumping victory over Iraq.Paris Saint-Germain’s reigning Ballon D’Or winner Dembele scored in the 7th, 20th and 32nd minutes as France maintained their 100 percent start to the tournament with another dazzling attacking display.The pre-match hype around Friday’s game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston, had focused on a duel between France striker Kylian Mbappe and Norwegian counterpart Erling Haaland.But that much-anticipated showdown never materialized after Norway opted to leave Manchester City star Haaland on the bench.Instead it was left to Dembele to grab center-stage from team-mate Mbappe, in a potent example of France’s fearsome offensive arsenal.Norway, who needed a win to leapfrog France into first place, threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard scored after 21 minutes.But Dembele’s third goal restored France’s two-goal cushion, and although Jorgen Strand Larsen missed a penalty in the 50th minute for Norway, the 2022 World Cup runners-up never looked like surrendering control.Dembele’s PSG team-mate Desire Doue bagged France’s fourth in stoppage time to complete the scoring.Dembele later played down the significance of his quick-fire hat-trick, turning his attention to the bigger challenges awaiting in the knockout rounds.“It’s a unique and important moment for me but I preferred my performances against Senegal or Iraq,” Dembele said.“I think I was much more influential in those games.