Ousmane Dembélé gave Norway a first-half nightmare they had no answer for, scoring three times before the hour to settle this Group I finale at Gillette Stadium in Boston. France won 4-1 and finished the group phase with a perfect nine points, having conceded just twice across three matches. Norway go through as runners-up on six points, but they will not look back on this evening with any great satisfaction.
Dembélé had the game effectively over before half-time. He opened the scoring in the seventh minute, with Kylian Mbappé providing the first of his two assists on the night, and then added a second in the twentieth minute from another Mbappé ball to make it 2-0. Norway barely had time to absorb the shock before pulling one back. Thelo Aasgaard, fed by Andreas Schjelderup, finished in the 21st minute to give Stale Solbakken's side a foothold. It lasted barely a minute in the scoreline. Dembélé's hat-trick goal arrived on 32 minutes, set up this time by Aurélien Tchouaméni cutting the ball back through a Norway defence that had already been pulled apart twice, and the match was done as a contest.
France controlled the second half without ever shifting out of second gear. Didier Deschamps rotated freely, withdrawing Dembélé and Michael Olise on 65 minutes once the business was concluded, and Norway, though they kept possession respectably at 43 per cent and threatened occasionally through Oscar Bobb's direct running, never looked remotely capable of mounting a comeback. Egil Selvik was kept occupied throughout, facing eight shots on target in total and making five saves, but the traffic was always one-directional once France had their third.
The fourth goal arrived deep in added time. Bradley Barcola, introduced from the bench in the final half-hour, picked out Désiré Doué, who finished in the 94th minute to complete the scoring and underline the gulf in class over ninety minutes. It was an appropriate conclusion to France's group-stage dominance: ten goals scored, two conceded, three wins from three, and not a single moment of real anxiety.
Mbappé was influential rather than spectacular. Two assists tell part of the story; his movement and the persistent threat he carries told the rest. Tchouaméni was the platform beneath everything, winning the ball and distributing it with the authority of someone who knows exactly what this team requires of him. Manu Koné covered ground quietly and effectively alongside him, providing defensive balance without seeking attention.
For Norway, the situation is less dire than the scoreline suggests. Aasgaard's goal was the bright spot, a sharp and composed finish from a player who has grown considerably into this tournament, and Bobb produced moments of genuine quality down the right before being withdrawn on 83 minutes. Schjelderup showed ambition throughout, and the 82 per cent passing accuracy tells you this was not a side simply caving under pressure. The problem was that the central defenders were repeatedly exposed in the opening half-hour, and Dembélé is not a player you can afford to leave that much space for, at any level, in any competition.
Patrick Berg picked up a yellow card, and the early departures of Bjørkan and Falchener left Norway's back line looking makeshift. None of it matters greatly in isolation. They are through, they have a squad of considerable quality, and Solbakken has other preparations to focus on now.
France, by contrast, head into the last sixteen with momentum, depth, and the knowledge that they have not yet been pressed into anything resembling a full performance. That will change. Against better opposition in the knockout rounds, it will have to.