Ousmane Dembélé, the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and France forward, spoke in the mixed zone on Friday evening following the 4-1 victory over Norway on Matchday 3 of the 2026 World Cup. Despite scoring a hat-trick, he remained very composed and quickly turned his attention to the remainder of the tournament.
Dembélé: “I preferred my performance against Senegal or Ireland.”
A word on the hat-trick?
“I’m happy. It’s a unique and important moment for me. It was a good performance. But I preferred my game against Senegal or Ireland. I think I was much more influential then, so we have to stay focused because there are important things coming up.”
Do you feel comfortable with the national team too?
“I feel very good, both on the pitch and with the squad. The most important thing is to stay focused and think about the team.”
Dembélé: “We have to stay focused and, above all, not get carried away.”
A step forward, but nothing achieved yet?
“Of course; as I said, the most important part is yet to come. We have to stay focused and, above all, not get carried away.”
Sweden?
“It’s going to be tough. It’s a Round of 32 match; anything can happen. As I said, we’re going to stay focused on what lies ahead.”
