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FranceFrance didn't just beat Norway on Friday night at Gillette Stadium — they dismantled them, and they did it early. By the 32nd minute, Ousmane Dembélé had three goals, Norway were chasing shadows, and the 64,146 fans in Foxborough had seen about as clean a first-half performance as this tournament has produced.
Our pre-match read made France the clear favorite at 71%, and they left absolutely no doubt.
The First Half That Decided Everything
Dembélé opened it in the 7th minute, finishing from a Kylian Mbappé pass that cut straight through Norway's shape. Patrick Berg picked up a yellow card in the 10th, and the foul count started climbing from there — Norway were already reacting rather than playing.
The second came in the 20th minute, same combination: Mbappé finding Dembélé, Dembélé finishing. Norway answered almost immediately. One minute later, Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back from Andreas Schjelderup's assist, and for about sixty seconds it felt like the match might have a pulse.
It didn't. Cabal, that was the moment France simply stepped on it. Dembélé completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, this time fed by Aurélien Tchouaméni, and the game was over as a contest. Three goals in 25 minutes from one player, all three assisted by different teammates — France were moving the ball with a fluency that Norway had no answer for.
At halftime: France 3, Norway 1, and it already felt generous.
The Numbers Back It Up
France finished the night with 18 shots to Norway's 10, nine on target to Norway's four. They held 56.8% of the ball and completed 557 passes at 90% accuracy. Norway's 420 passes at 80% accuracy tell you something about the kind of pressure they were playing under — not catastrophic, but always a step behind.
France's goalkeeper was barely tested, making three saves. Norway's keeper had five to make.
Doué Adds the Exclamation Point
The second half was largely administration. Tchouaméni picked up a yellow card in the 74th minute — the only blemish on an otherwise controlled French performance — but there was never any real threat of a Norwegian comeback.
Deep into stoppage time, Désiré Doué headed home from Bradley Barcola's cross to make it 4-1. A header in the 90th+4 to round off the scoring: el chispudo de Doué, making his mark even in a match that was long since decided.
Verdict
Norway will feel they showed some fight — Aasgaard's goal was well-taken and the 43% possession figure suggests they weren't completely overrun — but the scoreline is honest. France were a level above, and Dembélé was the difference. Three goals, two assists from Mbappé for the first two, a performance that will have the rest of the bracket paying attention.
The question now is whether France can sustain this kind of output into the knockout rounds, or whether a tighter opponent will force them into a different kind of game. Based on Friday night, they look equipped for both.
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