Didier Deschamps flew home from the World Cup after his mother, Ginette, died. The France head coach left Boston midway through the week, leaving his long-serving assistant Guy Stephan to take charge of Friday's Group I clash against Norway.
What followed was a commanding 4-1 victory lit up by an extraordinary first-half hat-trick from Ousmane Dembele. The France forward scored three times in the opening 32 minutes – all left-footed efforts, from a combined expected goals (xG) of just 0.29, the lowest for any hat-trick in the modern World Cup.
“Ousmane Dembele scores a rare hat-trick in France's win over Norway after coach Didier Deschamps left due to his mother's death.”
Stephan later revealed the squad had heard the news directly from Deschamps before he departed. “They are very close to Didier and wanted to do something special on the pitch,” Stephan said through a FIFA translator. “They did hear Didier talk and tell them that he had to leave.” He described the win as a gift for their absent manager.
The match had been preceded by confusion over what was supposed to be a tribute. The French Football Federation (FFF) had hoped FIFA would permit the players to wear black armbands in memory of Ginette Deschamps, but FIFA rejected the request outright. The FFF then told journalists that the pre-match minute's silence was held in honour of Deschamps' mother – only to backtrack and clarify it was actually dedicated to the more than 900 victims of the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. Stephan declined to address questions over the armband controversy.
Norway, already guaranteed a place in the Round of 32, left talisman Erling Haaland on the substitutes' bench. Haaland had scored four goals in his first two matches, but coach Ståle Solbakken made clear he had no intention of bowing to public pressure by fielding his star man.
Stephan confirmed Deschamps will return for the team's training session on Saturday, ahead of their Round of 32 fixture. “Didier will be back for the training session tomorrow,” Stephan said. France, now through to the knockout stage, will hope their manager's return can sustain the momentum generated by Dembele's magic.