Ousmane Dembélé stole the show on Day 16 of the World Cup, scoring a first-half hat-trick to lead France to a 4-1 victory over Norway. The performance eclipsed a planned head-to-head between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, now has four goals in his last two games after a long drought in major tournaments. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan preserved the lead with a crucial penalty save.
Senegal advanced to the round of 32, powered by super-sub Pape Gueye, who scored two goals and had an assist in 33 minutes against Iraq.
Spain won Group H without conceding a goal. Uruguay was eliminated. Cape Verde made history as the smallest nation by population ever to reach the knockout stage.
Belgium won Group G, with Kevin De Bruyne becoming the first Belgian to score in three different World Cups. Romelu Lukaku set a new national record for World Cup goals.