The third matchday of the first phase of the 2026 World Cup began with a battle for the top spots. In a direct duel for the top of Group E, France shone 4-1 against a Norway team filled with substitutes, while Senegal annihilated 5-0 against Iraq to finish third and dream of qualifying for the Round of 32.
Norway 1-4 France
In just seconds, France would come close to the first goal: Kylian Mbappé would receive the ball on the counter and drive to the right side of the area, where he would unleash a powerful right-footed shot that would hit the crossbar.
The French onslaught wouldn't stop there as they continued to create several chances that would inevitably lead to the 1-0. In the 6th minute, Mbappé would assist Ousmane Dembélé brilliantly, who would cut in and take a shot that left goalkeeper Egil Selvik motionless.
In the following stretch, Norway would manage to settle into the game a bit, generating their own opportunities, but their opponent would not decrease in intensity and would find the 2-0 in the 19th minute, thanks once again to a exquisite finish from Dembélé to the same corner of Selvik's goal.
Despite the blow, the Nordics would quickly reduce the deficit, taking a kick-off from the center: Andreas Schjelderup would advance down the left wing and pass to Thelo Aasgaard, who would enter the area and, taking advantage of the free space given by Dayot Upamecano, would shoot easily at Mike Maignan's goal for the 2-1.
So much adrenaline in such a short span of time would be abruptly cut off by the cooling break; however, that wouldn't prevent the goals from continuing. In the 32nd minute, Dembélé would complete his personal hat-trick and the third for Les Blues with a goal similar to the previous ones: a lethal left-footed shot to the far post.
At the start of the second half, the Norwegians would have an unbeatable chance to narrow the gap to just one goal: a penalty. In the 48th, Theo Hernández would bring down Oscar Bobb in the area and the referee would award the penalty. The one with the chance for a possible 3-2 would be Jørgen Strand Larsen, but Maignan would guess right and save his shot.
After this sequence, the match would enter a tense calm that would last until the final moments. When it seemed everything would end without any more notable actions, in the 93rd of 95, France would seal their victory with a header goal from Désiré Doué.
