By Bilal Ahmed
Ousmane Dembélé achieved a rare hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup 2026, becoming the first reigning Ballon d’Or winner to score three goals in a World Cup match since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. His performance helped France secure a 4-1 victory over Norway, ensuring they topped Group I with a perfect nine points from three games. Meanwhile, debutants Cape Verde made history by advancing to the knockout stage, becoming the smallest nation by population to do so.
Dembélé’s hat-trick, scored in the seventh, 20th, and 32nd minutes, was the second earliest in men’s World Cup history, only surpassed by Austria’s Erich Probst in 1954. This remarkable feat saw all 11 French players involved in the build-up to his third goal, a first for the tournament since 1966. He is also just the sixth man to score a first-half hat-trick in a World Cup match, a feat not seen since Oleg Salenko in 1994.
Kylian Mbappé also made his mark, contributing two assists in the match. This brings his total World Cup goal contributions to 20 (16 goals, 4 assists), placing him alongside football legends Lionel Messi (26) and Miroslav Klose (20) since assist records began in 1966. Notably, Mbappé had only two assists in his previous 16 World Cup appearances.
France’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, saved a penalty from Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 50th minute, making him the third French goalkeeper to save a men’s World Cup penalty, excluding shootouts. France has now scored three or more goals in their last four World Cup matches, matching a streak last achieved by Spain between 1998 and 2002.
Norway’s Strategy and African Milestones
Norway, despite the loss, also advanced to the knockout stage. Coach Ståle Solbakken made 10 changes to his starting lineup, resting key players like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, with an eye on their upcoming knockout fixture. This strategic decision was made as both teams had already secured qualification, with only the top spot in the group at stake.
Senegal achieved an African football first with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq. This marked the first time an African team scored five goals in a World Cup match and represented the largest margin of victory for an African side in the tournament. Pape Gueye became the second African player to score two or more goals as a substitute in a World Cup match, following Cameroon’s Roger Milla in 1990.
In the same match, Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Gueye, and Iliman Ndiaye each scored and assisted for Senegal, a rare occurrence last seen when Germany had three players achieve this in their 7-1 win over Brazil in 2014. Iliman Ndiaye also became the first player in World Cup history to come on as a substitute and record a goal, an assist, five touches in the opposition box, and five dribbles.
Ismaïla Sarr is now Senegal’s leading World Cup scorer with four goals, surpassing Papa Bouba Diop’s three goals.
Cape Verde’s Historic Advance and Other Results
Cape Verde, with a population of 525,000, became the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage after a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. They are the first team since 2010 to advance in their World Cup debut and the seventh team since 1998 to reach the knockout stage without winning a single group-stage match.
Cape Verde is also the first debutant nation to face defending World Cup champions in the knockout stage since Ghana in 2006. Their unbeaten run in the group stage (three draws) makes them the first debutant to achieve this since Senegal in 2002. Goalkeeper Vozinha, at 40 years old, joined Dino Zoff and Peter Shilton as the only goalkeepers aged 40 and above to keep multiple clean sheets at the World Cup.
In other matches, Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0, securing first place in their group for the fifth time in their last seven World Cup appearances. Spain also achieved a historic first by not conceding a goal in the group stage. Their unbeaten streak across all competitions now stands at 33 games. Uruguay, conversely, failed to advance past the group stage in consecutive World Cups for the first time.
Belgium topped Group H with a 5-1 win over New Zealand. Romelu Lukaku scored his sixth career World Cup goal, surpassing Marc Wilmots as Belgium’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Kevin De Bruyne became the first Belgian to score in three different World Cups (2014, 2018, 2026). Egypt and Iran played out a 1-1 draw, with Egypt advancing past the first round for the first time in their World Cup history.
France will now face a third-placed team, most likely Sweden, on Tuesday, June 30, in New Jersey, while Norway will play Ivory Coast in Dallas on the same day.
