France finished the World Cup group stage in imperious form on Friday night, thrashing Norway 4-1 in Boston to claim top spot in Group I with a perfect nine points from three games.
Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show, bagging a stunning first-half hat-trick, while Desire Doue capped the performance with a header deep into stoppage time.
The win came in emotionally charged circumstances, with head coach Didier Deschamps absent after returning to France to attend his mother’s funeral. Assistant Guy Stephan led the side in his place and was quick to acknowledge the difficult backdrop in his post-match comments.
“First of all, our thoughts are with Didier,” Stephan said. “We can’t wait to have him back and he’ll be with us at training tomorrow.”
On the pitch, though, there was plenty to celebrate. Dembele’s three goals put France firmly in control, and Stephan was full of praise for the performance. “There was a lot of enjoyment in the way we played, plenty of intensity and plenty of chances,” he said. “We scored four goals. Ousmane got a hat-trick and Desire Doue scored the first headed goal of his career. Those are all positive things and we need to build on them.”
Despite the emphatic scoreline, Stephan struck a cautious note, warning his side that they cannot afford complacency as the tournament enters its knockout phase. “There were also moments when we weren’t quite at our best, and we need to iron those out,” he said. “The further we go in this tournament, the stronger the opposition will be. We have to stay alert. We’re happy, we’ll enjoy this win, but tomorrow it’s back to work with Didier.”
The man of the match, Dembele, echoed that mindset. “We stay focused. It was an important game because we wanted to finish top of the group,” the forward said. “We want to win every match, and we’ll keep our focus because what’s coming next is even more important.”
Maxence Lacroix, who started in place of the rested William Saliba, was understandably buoyant after the final whistle. “I’m feeling so many emotions, so much joy,” the Crystal Palace defender told beIN Sports. “We got the win, we played really well, and we finished top of the group. I can’t even put into words how I’m feeling.”
Lacroix was keen to stress, however, that the job is far from done. “We finish first after a really good group stage, but the journey isn’t over. We want to dream big and now we’ll start preparing for the next match. We know we’re a very good attacking team who can score at any moment of a match.”
France will remain on the East Coast and face a third-place qualifier at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday, with Deschamps expected back in the dugout.
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