Does anyone at the World Cup have the defensive strength to deny this hyper-mobile, supremely varied French attack? Not, it turns out, a second-string Norway, who were torn apart in the first half in Boston, as Ousmane Dembélé scored a beautifully precise 25-minute hat-trick en route to a 4-1 win. France now top Group I and will play their last-32 tie in New Jersey next Tuesday. Norway will play Côte d’Ivoire in Texas.
This was a fun, freewheeling game, with the feel of a tournament formality, big third place playoff energy. But it wasn’t quite that. Certainly nothing that happened here in the absence of the rested Haaland will help nourish Norway’s late-stage tournament hopes, which are real but tentative, and which can only have been damaged by the sight of France’s attack using the corners of Egil Selvik’s goal for shooting practice in a jarringly open, defensively chaotic first half.
This game had been billed in the World Cup hype-o-drome as Mbappé v Haaland, Nordic Goal-Grendel versus Parisian Attack-Guillotine, and so on. In the event, it was something else as Haaland was rested along with nine other Norwegians, plus any notions of continuity, momentum or coherent defence.
The immediate consequence was the most lopsided opening six minutes of World Cup football you’re likely to see. This was the lead-in to a first-half hat-trick from Dembélé of real quality – and all the more startling because Norway’s defence just kept on giving him space to do the same things.
With 32 minutes gone and Dembélé already making plans for his latest plinth-mounted match ball, Norway could at least be pleased with the thoroughness of their research. Yes, it turns out. Dembélé really is very good at cutting inside and finding the same corner with that ruthlessly brilliant left foot.
New England on a mild, green midsummer afternoon is the most European of all the host states in feel and texture, the land rolling on through hills and waterways, like an endless mega-Devon. And this was effectively a Euro-playoff for top spot in Group I; with a little meaning behind it too, given second place could mean a more hazardous path with Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, England and Argentina lining up as possible opponents.
With this in mind it was doubly disappointing that Stale Solbakken chose to rotate 10 players out of his starting team. You can see why. Norway do not have the super-squad riches of other nations. The key players really are key players. This was good for squad vibes, evidence they’re all in the same boat rowing the same way.
On the other hand, it does leave you open to mid-tournament humiliation at the hands of the best team in the world. The Boston Stadium was a wash of red and blue shirts in its red and blue stands at kick-off. And France almost scored with 20 seconds gone here. Kylian Mbappé was released on halfway by a neat Dembélé pass after an absent minded touch, glided in on the right and twanged the crossbar from an oblique angle.
Three minutes later Manu Koné took a loose ball at the edge of the box, with Norway pursuing the new defensive policy of simply ignoring him and hoping he goes away. His shot was palmed away from the corner by Egil Selvik.
The opening goal finally arrived after six minutes. Mbappé made it with a wonderful pirouetting diagonal pass between the retreating red shirts, lovely execution, but once again the product of too much chaotic unrehearsed defence. Dembélé cut inside, feinted, then shot between a pair of Norwegians into the far corner, cue for a rolling shout around the ground, the kind of cheer that comes when you’ve felt the goal coming, and this is just the release.
Mbappé might have doubled the lead before Dembélé did on 20 minutes. This was pretty much the same goal, with Mbappé producing almost exactly the same pass from a similar spot. The shot was more central, low and hard into the same corner.
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But wait. What was this? Pretty much from the re-start Norway were level with a fine goal of their own, Andreas Schjelderup finding Thelo Aasgaard, who jinked inside and finished nicely. Norway’s players roared, the crowd seethed and leapt. The game felt utterly breathless, moreishly loose.
Yes: just the perfect moment for an advert break, which was greeted once again with thundering and heartfelt boos. This really was a case of taking everyone’s ball away, a scheduled failure to read the room.
But with 32 minutes gone Dembélé re-established the two goal lead, teasing inside again, finding the same corner again. Didier Deschamps had started the current Ballon d’Or wider on the right in this game, with Michael Olise central. Safe to say it is a tweak that paid off.
This was at least one occasion where the overheated countdown to the second half restart made sense. How long before Dembélé has another shot? But it was Norway who started quickly, Oscar Bobb earning a penalty with a wonderful piece of skill on the right, jinking inside Aurélien Tchouaméni and drawing a clear trip from Theo Hernandez. The kick from Jørgen Strand Larsen, in for Haaland, was soft and central. Mike Maignan guessed right and saved it.
The half drifted on, split between periods of walking football, and moments of intense energy from Mbappé when it looked like he might still be able to get a goal of his own. A Mexican wave happened. A section of the crowd sang “Erling Haaland” over and over again. Bobb drew a fine low save from Maignan.
Right at the death Désiré Doué headed a fourth from Bradley Barcola’s cross. And France can now gallop on with 10 goals so far and a sense of unexpected late-Deschamps cavalier spirit. Will Solbakken come to regret downgrading this fixture? Norway came here on a galvanising run of wins. The games are not quite stacked back to back. And nobody really knows how good this Norway team can be. At their best they can actually consider beating teams of France’s quality. All that is missing is the muscle memory of actually doing it under added tournament heat. This felt like a chance spurned to acquire a little more of that.