Predictions
Group I Wrap: Dembélé Hat-Trick Sends France Top, Senegal Rout Iraq 5-0
France beat Norway 4-1 behind an Ousmane Dembélé hat-trick to win Group I, while Senegal hammered 10-man Iraq 5-0 to keep their round-of-32 hopes alive as a third-placed side.
Group I is done. France finished the job in style, beating Norway 4-1 at Gillette Stadium behind an Ousmane Dembélé hat-trick, while in Toronto Senegal routed a 10-man Iraq side 5-0 to close the group. Both June 26 games kicked off at the same time; here are the confirmed finals.
Norway 1-4 France
With first place the only thing on the line — both teams had already qualified — France made their superior depth count. Dembélé struck twice inside 20 minutes, opening the scoring in the 7th and doubling it on 20’. Norway hit straight back when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back (21’), but the response was brief: Dembélé completed his hat-trick on 32’ to make it 3-1 at the break. Désiré Doué added a fourth deep in stoppage time (90+4’) to seal a 4-1 win.
Norway, missing several first-choice names with qualification already secure, never recovered from Dembélé’s early double. France top the group with a perfect nine points and a +8 goal difference; Norway settle for second.
Senegal 5-0 Iraq
Senegal’s tournament hung in the balance coming into the night, and they left nothing to chance. Habib Diarra struck inside four minutes (4’), and the game tilted decisively when Iraq’s Rebin Sulaka was sent off with a straight red in the 13th minute. A man up for more than 75 minutes, Senegal pulled away after the break: Ismaïla Sarr (56’), Pape Gueye with a quickfire double (59’, 71’) and Iliman Ndiaye (82’) completed a 5-0 win.
The result lifts Senegal to three points and a +2 goal difference — a haul that puts them firmly in the mix among the best third-placed teams. Iraq leave the World Cup beaten in all three games.
Final Group I table
France finish first on nine points (10 goals for, two against), Norway second on six, and Senegal third on three with a +2 goal difference. Iraq, beaten three times and with a −11 goal difference, are eliminated.
What it means
France march into the knockouts as the only Group I side with a flawless record and look every bit a tournament favourite — Dembélé’s hat-trick was a statement of intent. Norway advance as runners-up, while Senegal’s emphatic win keeps them alive: whether three points is enough to sneak through as one of the eight best third-placed teams will only be settled once the remaining groups finish. For what each side needed coming in, revisit our June 26 qualification scenarios and the day’s preview.
Scorelines, scorers and standings above are confirmed final results, cross-checked against official FIFA match data and major outlets (FIFA.com, ESPN, Wikipedia). This article contains no estimated or projected scores.