Group I Senegal 5-0 Iraq France 4-1 Norway France wrapped up top spot in Group I in emphatic fashion on Friday as Ousmane Dembele struck a sensational first-half hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Norway, while Senegal revived their World Cup hopes with a commanding 5-0 win over 10-man Iraq. The French, already assured of qualification before kick-off, finished the group stage with a perfect nine points and will head into the Round of 32 as one of the tournament favourites. Norway, who had also secured qualification before the match, finished second and will face Ivory Coast in the knockout stage. Meanwhile, Senegal kept alive their hopes of reaching the last 32 after a ruthless display against Iraq, although the West Africans must now wait to learn whether their three-point tally will be enough to earn one of the tournament's eight best third-placed spots. Dembele dazzles as France finish perfect group campaign France needed less than a minute to signal their intentions when Kylian Mbappe rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike after just 25 seconds. The breakthrough came in the seventh minute after Mbappe split the Norwegian defence with a perfectly weighted through ball for Ballon d'Or winner Dembele, who calmly slotted past the goalkeeper. Dembele doubled France's advantage midway through the first half with a superb finish from a tight angle before Norway briefly threatened a comeback. With coach Ståle Solbakken resting 10 of his 11 regular starters, including leading scorer Erling Haaland, Norway fielded a heavily rotated side but pulled one back through Thelo Aasgaard, who was left completely unmarked to finish from close range. Any hopes of a Norwegian revival were short-lived. Dembele completed the first World Cup hat-trick of his career in the 32nd minute with another clinical finish, capping a devastating opening half for Didier Deschamps' men. Norway had an opportunity to reduce the deficit early in the second half, but Jorgen Strand Larsen saw his penalty brilliantly saved after the interval. France continued to dominate and added a fourth goal deep into stoppage time when Desire Doue completed a sweeping move to seal another convincing victory. The result saw France finish with a maximum nine points from three matches and they are expected to face Sweden in the Round of 32, while Norway will take on an in-form Ivory Coast side in Dallas on June 30. Senegal run riot against 10-man Iraq In the group's other match, Senegal produced their best performance of the tournament to overwhelm Iraq 5-0 and keep their World Cup dream alive. The Lions of Teranga made the perfect start, taking the lead after just four minutes when Abdoulaye Seck's header took a decisive touch off teammate Habib Diarra before crossing the line. Iraq's hopes suffered a major setback eight minutes later when defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after pulling down Sadio Mane, who was through on goal. Reduced to 10 men, Iraq struggled to cope with Senegal's relentless pressure. The West Africans took complete control after the break as Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead before Iliman Ndiaye added a third with a composed finish. Midfielder Pape Gueye then capped an outstanding team performance by scoring twice in the closing stages to complete a resounding 5-0 victory. Despite the emphatic win, Senegal's fate remains out of their own hands. Finishing third in Group I with three points means they must now wait for the remaining groups to conclude to discover whether they have done enough to qualify among the tournament's eight best third-placed teams. For France and Norway, however, attention now turns to the knockout stage, where sterner tests await as the battle for World Cup glory gathers momentum.
