Eyebrows were raised pre-game at Norway’s decision to rotate almost their entire starting XI for this game, and their 10 changes nearly backfired after just 22 seconds. Kylian Mbappe angled in off the right and crashed an effort against the underside of the bar, denying him what would’ve been the third-fastest WC goal ever.
The French onslaught didn’t stop there, as Manu Kone tested Egil Selvik from the edge of the area inside the opening five minutes, but the Norwegians’ resistance was eventually broken soon after when Ousmane Dembele crashed a right-footed effort past a hapless Selvik from inside the area.
Norway had a golden chance to level the scores when Jorgen Strand Larsen volleyed a loose ball over from six yards out, and that miss was punished in brutal fashion when a sweeping France counter-attack ended with Dembele curling a sumptuous effort into the far corner.
The 2018 WC champions’ two-goal lead lasted less than 10 seconds, as straight from the restart, Norway halved the deficit through Thelo Aasgaard, whose shimmy on the edge of the area opened up a yard of space for him to arrow an effort into the bottom corner from 18 yards.
The first half was proving to be one of the best of the tournament, and the fourth goal of the game saw France re-establish their two-goal lead as Dembele completed his hat-trick, working the ball onto his stronger left foot inside the area and bending another inch-perfect effort into the far corner.
Only a self-implosion was likely to stop France from there, but Theo Hernandez flirted with hitting that button within five minutes of the restart when he felled Oscar Bobb inside the area. Strand Larsen assumed responsibility from 12 yards only to be denied by Mike Maignan, who became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty at this WC.
Bobb played a key role in winning Norway’s penalty, and their first big chance thereafter fell his way too, as he was freed in behind by Aasgaard, but his tame left-footed effort was too close to Maignan.
Norway leaving their big hitters on the bench was a signal that they were more than content to simply be advancing to the knockouts, where Ivory Coast await them in the last 32.
France added the icing on the cake in stoppage time when Desire Doue headed home a fourth, and although they will have to wait a little longer to find out their opponents, winning all three of their group games for the first time since 1998, when they won the tournament, should have them fearing no one in the knockouts.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ousmane Dembele (France)
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