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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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With Ousmane Dembele doing the majority of the scoring, France achieved a 4-1 victory over Norway on Friday as they continue their surge through the latest edition of the FIFA World Cup.
Dembele was simply spectacular, scoring a hat trick in the first half of the matchup, giving him a historic performance at the event. He netted his first goal just seven minutes into the game, then followed that with another 13 minutes later. His third of the game came at the 32-minute mark.
However, France's star player dropped a stunning statement after his team's win and ahead of their Round of 32 matchup.
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"I'm happy, it's a unique and important moment for me," Dembele said after the match, in comments translated from French. "The performance is good, but I preferred my matches against Senegal and Ireland. I was much more influential. We need to stay focused. There are important things coming up."
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France opened their World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Senegal thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappe. They followed that with a 3-0 win against Iraq with Mbappe scoring twice again, and Dembele adding their team's third. With those results, they were already qualified for the Knockout Stage.
Friday's win meant France won their group, although Dembele realized it was the previous two games that mattered more than his historic hat trick.
According to ESPN, he was the first player to record one in the first half of a World Cup since 1994, when Russia's Oleg Salenko scored three goals in the first half. Salenko added another two in the second half of his team's win.
Dembele's post-match admission about the historic hat trick may surprise some, although it is worth noting that Norway wasn't looking at this matchup as one they believed they could win. Their star Erling Haaland was among their starting players watching from the sidelines since they already qualified for the Round of 32 and weren't as concerned about winning Group I.
Basically, Norway was content with a second-place finish, but France remained aggressive. And France's star of the match, Dembele, showed his humility, realizing he'd rather have an impact in the more significant matches and moments of his country's latest World Cup run.
Next up, France will play Sweden in the Knockout Stage, with that match set for Tuesday, June 30.
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