Ousmane Dembele Reflects on Historic Hat-Trick Amidst World Cup Glory
Dembele's Remarkable Performance at the FIFA World Cup
Massachusetts [US], June 27 (Media House): Ousmane Dembele, the French football sensation and 2025 Ballon d'Or recipient, has expressed a preference for his earlier performances against Senegal and Iraq, despite achieving a remarkable hat-trick in the final group stage match against Norway on Friday.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward made history by becoming the first player to score a first-half hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup since Oleg Salenko in 1994. His hat-trick, completed in just 32 minutes, is the second-fastest in World Cup history, following Erich Probst's record of 24 minutes in 1954, according to OptaJoe.
After the match, Dembele shared with M6, as reported by Goal.com, that while this performance was a "unique and important moment" for him, he still holds his matches against Senegal and Iraq in higher regard. "I am happy; it is a unique and important moment for me. My performance was good, but I preferred my match against Senegal or against Iraq – I think I was much more influential. We have to stay focused; important things are on the horizon," he stated.
Reflecting on the victory over Norway, he added, "It was an important match to finish top of the group. We want to win every game, and we are going to stay focused because what lies ahead is going to be even more difficult. There are quality players on the pitch, and even on the bench. And with communication, it makes things easier. We understand each other better, so that is good; we need to keep it up."
Dembele showcased excellent synergy with captain Kylian Mbappe during the opening match against Senegal, which ended in a 3-1 victory. He also scored in the 66th minute of the subsequent 3-0 win over Iraq.
He is now the third French player to achieve a World Cup hat-trick, joining the ranks of Just Fontaine and Kylian Mbappe.
Notably, Dembele's hat-trick goal marked the first of the 182 scored at this World Cup to involve all 11 players from his team in the build-up, as per OptaJoe.
In the match against Norway, France led 3-1 at halftime. Dembele opened the scoring with a brilliant finish in the seventh minute and doubled the lead with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box in the 20th minute. Norway managed to respond quickly through Thelo Aasgaard just a minute later, but Dembele restored France's two-goal cushion with his hat-trick goal in the 32nd minute.
Fans were disappointed as the anticipated clash between star forwards Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland did not occur, with Norway's manager Stale Solbakken choosing to rest 10 regular starters, including Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard.