France completed a flawless Group I campaign with a 4-1 dismantling of Norway at Gillette Stadium, a performance driven by Ousmane Dembélé’s first-half hat-trick and a late header from Désiré Doué. The victory, achieved with assistant coach Guy Stephan on the touchline, ensured Les Bleus finished with a maximum nine points and a goal difference of plus-eight, their first perfect group-stage record at a World Cup since 1998. Norway, who rested almost all their regular starters, still advanced as group runners-up.

Dembélé struck three times before the interval, exploiting a reshuffled Norwegian defence to put the contest beyond reach. Doué then rose to nod in a fourth during injury time, capping a display that Stephan later described as a deliberate tribute. “The players are very close to Didier, and they wanted to do something special on the pitch today,” he told reporters in Foxborough, a sentiment echoed across French football media. Stephan, who has worked alongside Deschamps since their days at Olympique de Marseille in 2009, acknowledged that the team’s intensity dipped once the result was secure, allowing Norway to create chances that will need to be eliminated against stronger opposition.

Deschamps was absent after flying back to France to attend his mother’s funeral. The French Football Federation confirmed she died on the morning of Tuesday 23 June, and the 57-year-old was given leave to be with his family. He missed several training sessions and the match itself, but is expected to rejoin the squad in Boston on Saturday and resume preparations immediately. Stephan, who oversaw the win, said: “We are happy that he comes back. Our duo will be reunited and we will get ready for the big games coming up.”

France now travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for a round-of-32 tie on 30 June against a yet-to-be-determined third-place finisher. Bookmakers have installed them as tournament favourites, and the group stage has done little to dampen that assessment: ten goals scored, two conceded, and a squad visibly motivated by personal bonds. Stephan’s post-match analysis, however, struck a note of caution. “There were moments when the game became easy and we stopped running as much, giving the opponent opportunities,” he said. “That is something we must correct, because the opponents will only get stronger.”