Dembélé double sinks battling Norway

A heavily rotated Norway side fought back instantly but ultimately fell short in an electrifying opening half-hour against France at the Boston Stadium, with Les Bleus securing a narrow advantage in their Group I finale.

The match exploded into life when Ousmane Dembélé struck twice in the opening 20 minutes to give the French a commanding lead. His second goal, a brilliant curling effort from the edge of the box after being teed up by Kylian Mbappé, looked to have firmly deflated a Norwegian team that started the match with superstars Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard on the bench.

However, straight from the ensuing kickoff, Norway hit back with a stunning solo response. Midfielder Thelo Aasgaard collected a pass on the left wing, cut infield, and left French defender Dayot Upamecano completely wrong-footed with a sharp drop of his shoulder. The Rangers midfielder then displayed immense composure, drilling a precise, low strike into the bottom left corner past a rooted Mike Maignan to pull the score to 2-1 in the 21st minute.

The goal breathed life back into the Scandinavian side, who had survived an early onslaught that included Mbappé rattling the crossbar in the opening seconds. While France controlled the majority of the first-half tempo to preserve their slim lead, Aasgaard’s quick-fire response served notice that the understrength Norwegians remain dangerous as both sides battle for the top spot in the group.