Ousmane Dembélé Scores Second-Fastest World Cup Hat-Trick as France Beat Norway 4-1

New Delhi: France's star forward Ousmane Dembélé has etched his name in the history books of the FIFA World Cup. In the match against Norway, Dembélé made an immediate impact; he scored three consecutive goals within just 32 minutes, recording the second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history. His performance helped France crush Norway by a significant 4-1 margin.

Dembélé's Spectacular Hat-trick

Just minutes into the match, Dembélé scored the opening goal with a precise right-footed shot. Fourteen minutes later, he outmaneuvered the opposing defense to score his second goal. He completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute with a third goal, putting France in a commanding position.

Dembélé's feat is particularly remarkable because the only record for a faster hat-trick in World Cup history belongs to Austria's Erich Probst, who scored three goals against Czechoslovakia in just 24 minutes—exactly 72 years ago (in 1954). Erich Probst Austria 24 minutes 1954 (vs Czechoslovakia)

Ousmane Dembélé France 32 minutes 2026 (vs Norway)

Gary Lineker England 36 minutes 1986 (vs Poland)

Gerd Müller Germany 38 minutes 1970 (vs Peru)

**Doué also scores a goal**

In this Group I encounter, both teams displayed an attacking strategy. Following Dembélé's hat-trick, Norway's Thelo Aasgaard scored a goal in an attempt to bring his team back into the match, making the score 3-1 at half-time. However, in the closing moments of the game, France's Désiré Doué netted another goal, securing a commanding 4-1 victory for his team. The result did not significantly impact the group standings, as both teams had already qualified for the knockout round (Round of 32). This explains why Norway made ten major changes to their lineup for this match, opting not to include star player Erling Haaland in the starting XI.

**Golden Boot race heats up**

With this spectacular performance, reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé has surged into strong contention for the tournament's prestigious Golden Boot award. Currently, Argentina's Lionel Messi leads the race with five goals; however, Dembélé has closed the gap significantly, joining teammate Kylian Mbappé, Brazil's Vinícius Júnior, and Norway's Erling Haaland on four goals each.