Have A Day, Dembélé: 4 Takeaways From France’s Big Win Over Norway At World Cup
Friday’s match for the top spot in Group I was a masterclass – led by maestro Ousmane Dembélé and his three goals – as France won 4-1 against Norway and earned three straight victories in the process. It’s the first time Les Bleus have won all three group matches since 1998, which is when they became champions. Les Bleus were without manager Didier Deschamps, who returned to France following the death of his mother, but delivered a performance that once again showed why this team is the favorites. As a result, Group I winner France will most likely face Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium. But for Norway, it was an acceptable loss. A good one, if there is such a thing. The Norwegians conceded four goals, but this was a rotated squad where Stale Solbakken made a lot of changes, including keeping striker Erling Haaland or midfielder Martin Odegaard on the bench. And still, even with all the changes, it created opportunities, even with the missed penalty. So it should feel good as it now prepares for the Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. Here are my takeaways: 1. Ousmane Dembélé has finally arrived After failing to make an impact for France under the big spotlight (19 previous major international tournament games without scoring a goal), Dembélé now has four goals at this World Cup. The PSG star and 2025 Ballon d’Or winner is now in the Golden Boot race as he has the same number of goals as his teammate Kylian Mbappé. This was a signature performance for Dembélé. When you give him space inside the box, and he cuts inside to his slightly-preferred left foot, there is nothing you can do to stop him and that’s what continually happened. Norway made a big mistake by stepping away and as a result, he kept on punishing them. A fantastic hat-trick, which was the second fastest by a starter in World Cup history (32 minutes) behind Austria’s Erich Probst in 1954 against Czechoslovakia. 2. Right Decision To Sit Haaland? It made sense for Solbakken to sit his regulars, including Haaland, who wanted to make sure his team was as fresh as possible for the knockout stage. But there is such a thing as momentum and confidence, so did he do the right thing? Yes. Norway was all prepared for whatever outcome. On Monday, after winning 3-2 against Senegal, Haaland spoke about France’s dominance, giving a refreshingly candid (if a bit flippant) answer when talking about his team’s chances against Les Bleus. “Honestly, I don’t care too much [about the France game],” Haaland said. “We’re through, we managed to get through, which is incredible …so I couldn’t care too much about that game now. They [France] are probably going to win against us, they’re probably going to win the whole tournament.” It’s not a defeatist concept, it’s a realistic one. Norway is a very good team, but it does not have the depth of France, so if it loses to the likes of Haaland, then it can almost say goodbye to a strong, deep, historic run. Besides, with a rotated squad against a giant like France, Norway still created lots of good chances and had several chances for more goals, including a missed penalty. At least that’s very encouraging. If there is one team who can handle a loss and get right back up, it’s Norway. 3. France Shows Why It Is The Team To Beat After the victory over Norway, the two-time World Cup champion now ends the group stage in perfect fashion, winning all three matches. This might be a good omen as the last time it achieved this was in 1998, when it won the competition. Naturally, in 2018, it also won the tournament and, at that time, it didn’t win all three group stage matches. However, this summer, to me – as I have said from day one – France is looking stronger and stronger because the entire squad knows its role. How do you even stop this team when you have Mbappé up top, Michael Olise right under him, Désiré Doué on the left … oh, and if you choose to focus on the right wing, there’s Dembélé? This type of devastating attacking talent should not even be legal. The embarrassment of riches is honestly overwhelming for any team at this tournament. Yes, it’s still trying to figure out things defensively – France was caught sleeping in Norway’s lone goal – but you can’t deny the attacking might of France far outweighs any defensive vulnerability. 4. An Emotional Day With Deschamps Absent Didier Deschamps is one of the longest serving managers in international football, having been in charge of France since 2012. But his presence was missed in the game after he returned to France following his mother’s death, which gave Friday an important meaning. “On behalf of the entire France team, France’s family, we extend our condolences to the coach and his family,” said midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni prior to the match, speaking from the team’s camp. “This is a difficult time for everyone. We tried to make things seem normal, but we have a mission, and we want to make him proud.” And the Real Madrid midfielder did exactly that, playing a very strong performance in the midfield under the guidance of assistant manager Guy Stephan. “He gave us a mission, both the staff and the players. Guy will follow the coach’s instructions. We will continue to respect our playing principles. We are confident that we will do everything we can to win.”
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