Haaland and Mbappe 'kings never meet,' Dembele's hat-trick puts him in the 'Golden Boot race'

Written by Han Bing Originally billed as a highly anticipated showdown between two football superstars, the match became a 'king-meets-no-king' scenario because Norway's starting lineup saw heavy rotation, with Haaland never leaving the bench. France, fielding most of their regular starters, comfortably beat the 'Norway reserves' 4-1, as Dembele netted a hat-trick and Mbappe assisted twice, showcasing their top-tier offensive strength. Dembele, who has scored four goals in the group stage, has now joined the 'Golden Boot contenders,' starting the knockout stage on equal footing with Haaland.

This duel between Haaland and Mbappe, two megastars, was one of the most anticipated matches of the third group round. Fans hoped to see both strikers compete on the same pitch and show off their finishing skills. However, Norway coach Solbakken benched 10 of the starters from the previous game against Senegal, with only defensive midfielder Bairi starting. Solbakken explained afterward that this was a necessary rest approved by the medical team and the players themselves given the tight schedule: 'The heavy rotation was a natural decision for me, the medical staff, and the players. Although we apologize to the fans in the stadium, we want to go far in the tournament and must protect our players.'

In contrast, France also made some rotations but kept the attacking trio of Mbappe, Dembele, and Olise in the starting lineup. Left winger Doue replaced Barcola, and four other changes were made in midfield and defense. The contest between France's '1.5 team' and Norway's 'second team' was one-sided from the start. Haaland remained on the bench, Mbappe failed to add to his goal tally, but Dembele exploded with a hat-trick in just 32 minutes of the first half. The star, who won Ligue 1 and the Champions League with PSG this season, could become not only a top Golden Boot candidate but also significantly boost his chances of winning back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards if he performs well for France in the World Cup.

Dembele broke the deadlock in the 6th minute from a diagonal pass by Mbappe, scoring for the second consecutive game. In the 20th minute, Mbappe provided his second assist, allowing Dembele to double his tally. Although Norway's Osko pulled one back a minute later, Dembele completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with an assist from Tchouameni. This was Dembele's first hat-trick for the French national team. In his previous two World Cups, he had failed to score in 11 combined matches, managing only two assists in 2022. Including two European Championships, Dembele had been goalless in four major tournaments. The last time he scored a hat-trick was in February last year in a Ligue 1 match against Rennes.

After ending a 12-game World Cup goal drought in the second group match against Iraq, Dembele has opened the floodgates. With four goals in two group matches, he is now level with Vinicius, Mbappe, and Haaland, trailing only Messi (five goals), making him a new contender for the World Cup Golden Boot. Dembele became the first French player to score a hat-trick in the first half of a World Cup match, and the first to achieve this feat since Russian striker Salenko in 1994, 32 years later. His third goal was also France's 1,700th in their history, cementing his place in the record books.

Haaland and Mbappe 'kings never meet,' and Mbappe failed to extend his goal streak. However, he assisted Dembele twice, bringing his total goal involvements in this World Cup to six (four goals, two assists), surpassing his combined tally from the previous two World Cup group stages (four goals, one assist). He now shares the top spot for goal involvements with Messi (five goals, one assist) in this tournament. Mbappe has four assists in World Cup history, second in France only to Griezmann (five) and Kopa (eight). His 20 goal involvements (17 total? Actually 17 times? Let's rephrase: Mbappe has been involved in 20 goals across his World Cup career, second only to Messi (26) since detailed statistics began in 1966. For the first time since Poland in 1974 (Szarmach with five goals, Lato with four), a team has two players with four goals each in the group stage of a World Cup, 52 years later.

In the 4th minute of stoppage time, Doue sealed a 4-1 victory for France, who finished top of Group I with a perfect record, becoming the second team after Mexico to win all group stage matches in this World Cup. France moved into the upper half of the bracket and remained in the northeastern United States, avoiding travel fatigue during the knockout rounds. They are likely to face Germany in the Round of 16, with the Netherlands also in their quarter of the bracket, and they will not encounter the strongest opponent in their half, Spain, until the semi-finals at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Norway, opting not to fight for the group lead and conserving energy, moved to the lower half of the bracket. They will face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. If they advance, they will take on the winner of Brazil vs. Japan, with England being their likely biggest obstacle in the quarterfinal half. Although they will have to travel south to hot Texas for the Round of 32, Haaland-led Norway's key players have enjoyed more rest, giving them a significant physical advantage.