France defeated Norway 4-1 in their final Group I match with a commanding performance to secure top spot in the group, while Senegal stunned Iraq 5-0 in the final Group matches of the FIFA World Cup.
France wasted no time in taking control as Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring in the seventh minute after a fine pass from Kylian Mbappe.
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The same combination produced the second goal in the 20th minute, with Mbappe again providing the assist for Dembele to complete his brace.
Norway responded a minute later through Thelo Aasgaard, who finished from Andreas Schjelderup’s assist to cut the deficit and briefly raise hopes of a comeback.
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However, France restored their two-goal advantage in the 32nd minute when Dembele completed his hat-trick from Aurelien Tchouameni’s pass.
Tchouameni was later booked, while Desire Doue sealed the victory in stoppage time with a well-taken goal after Bradley Barcola’s assist in the 90+4th minute.
France controlled the match with quick passing, good movement and attacking quality that Norway found difficult to stop.
Dembele was the star of the encounter with his clinical finishing, while Mbappe’s creativity helped France maintain pressure throughout the game.
Norway fought hard but could not recover after conceding three first-half goals.
With the result, France advanced to the Round of 32 as Group I winners, where they will face the third-placed team from Group F.
Norway also progressed to the knockout stage as runners-up and will take on the runners-up of Group E.
Meanwhile, Senegal defeated Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match with an impressive attacking display to book their place in the Round of 32.
Senegal made the perfect start when Habib Diarra found the net in the fourth minute after an assist from Alpha Seck.
Iraq’s problems increased after defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a red card, leaving his side to play with 10 men, while Seck also received a yellow card.
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Senegal continued to dominate after the break as Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead in the 56th minute from Lamine Camara’s pass.
Papa Gueye then struck twice, with both goals created by Sarr, before Iliman Ndiaye completed the scoring in the 82nd minute after receiving a pass from Gueye.
Senegal remained in control from start to finish, using their numerical advantage to create several scoring chances and keep Iraq under constant pressure.
Their solid defence also denied Iraq any clear opportunity to get back into the game.
Senegal finished in third place in Group I with 3 points, behind France and Norway, who secured the two automatic top spots.
Senegal will not advance directly. They must wait to see if their points and goal differential rank them among the eight best third-placed teams across the 48-team tournament to secure a knockout spot.
Iraq finished bottom of Group I and bowed out of the tournament after failing to earn enough points to advance.
(NAN)
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