World Cup
In a World Cup that seems fixated on trying to make soccer more entertaining for its American audience, local fans were lucky on Friday to see a game in which the most compelling figures were the French ones in front of goal.
Kylian Mbappe dribbles at the Norwegian goal during France’s World Cup win. Via Hussein Hammouda/Boston.com
June 27, 2026 | 4:13 PM
4 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH – There was a sequence before halftime in Friday’s highly anticipated World Cup matchup at “Boston Stadium” (Gillette Stadium) between Norway and France that remains emblazoned in my mind.
It started at exactly the 42:43 mark in the first half, when French center-back Dayot Upamecano acrobatically cleared the ball off his own goal-line with — of all techniques — a backheel. Though it may have appeared to be a desperation clearance, the ball somehow rolled perfectly to the feet of Upamecano’s teammate, Theo Hernández.
Hernández promptly pushed a pass out to forward Michael Olise, who covered the distance to midfield in what felt like two strides. With characteristic unpredictability, Olise cut back inside and — needing only a moment to survey the attacking situation — threaded a 25-yard pass through coverage like he was a Patriots quarterback, fizzing the ball right to the feet of fellow forward Ousmane Dembélé.
Dembélé, who seemed almost embarrassed to be wide open in front of goal yet again (he already had the second fastest hat-trick in World Cup history), tried to casually pass to Désiré Doué in the center, but the Norwegian defense was finally able to get a foot in, and cleared at the 42:56 mark.
In just 13 seconds, the French went from their own goal-mouth to the Norwegian doorstep, and did so in an artful way. This wasn’t just a clumsy full-field clearance that got lucky, it was the product of intelligence, skill, and unselfishness.
True, you might say this was ultimately a failure because France didn’t score at the end of the sequence, but that misses the point (which was also somewhat muted by the fact that the French were already leading 3-1).
This was adrenaline. This was the actual “Beautiful Game.” This was another day in the life of the only World Cup team based in Boston. Even when they don’t score, you can’t take your eyes off of the spectacle. And to be clear, the French did plenty of scoring, finishing with a comfortable 4-1 win over Norway.
France has intentionally kept a relatively low profile in Boston. Since arriving with some degree of fanfare, Les Bleus have trained behind mostly closed doors at Bentley, and remained out of the limelight despite renting the entire Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Boston.
Yet in a style that Patriots fans will undoubtedly appreciate, the French have so far let their play do the talking. It hasn’t all been free-flowing attacks, granted, but France’s first two games were nonetheless convincing scorelines (3-1 over Senegal, and 3-0 over Iraq).
Against Norway, however, they fully ascended to the mantle “Entertainers” of the World Cup. It’s a label that’s been attached to various teams in the past (both in international tournaments and other competitions). Brazil in 1970 or 1982, for example, are among many other versions of this type of team through the decades.
It’s a reference that can have negative implications — Brazil in 1982 could score, but were eventually eliminated in the tournament by Italy because of their casual approach to defending — but in this case it’s a term of endearment.
A North American-based World Cup was always going to be seen as needing entertainers, and France possesses an almost unbelievable number of them. Amid the endless crowd shots of random actors or influencers on hand that Fox cameras are so eager to beam into living rooms during the tournament, it’s been the French attack that has rightfully been the most worthy of fans’ focus.
Norway, of course, featured a lineup that made 10 changes, and were playing the long game ahead of the knockout round. France are not above such tactics either, making several second-half changes to rest players, but it simply doesn’t matter when it comes to their attack.
With Kylian Mbappe leading the line – he didn’t score on Friday but had two of the better assists of the tournament, and Dembélé (the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner) finding his goal-scoring form at the perfect time, France would already have enough to possibly win the tournament. But when Olise is added in (who has been playing at a truly world-class level over the last three seasons) plus Doué (who scored in stoppage time), it puts France in a possible all-time conversation.
Throw in substitutes Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki — two players who could walk into the starting lineups of almost any other national team on the planet — and it becomes an almost unfair level of talent.
“They are probably going to win against us, they’re probably going to win the whole tournament,” confessed Norway’s own elite goalscorer, Erling Haaland, prior to the matchup. It was a fairly stunning quote. And even if there was a level of humor or intentional understatement of his own team, Haaland was simply saying what everyone may already be thinking. France are the odds-on favorites to win.
One of the most interesting stats from Norway-France was that the losing team’s xG (expected goals) was actually higher than the decisive winner.
Norway (1.79) 1-4 (1.40) France
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 26, 2026
It’s a fascinating snapshot of soccer analysis, contrasting heavily with the final score. What does that tell us? Well, in one sense it shows the limitations of xG as a meaningful statistic. It also shows that France’s attack has a level of quality that outperforms what is “expected.” At their best, they easily transcend ordinary expectations as great entertainers do.
Who knows if this French team will actually win the World Cup. The margins in this competition are famously tight, even for the exceptionally talented. What we can see quite plainly is that France is a contender not because of a suffocating defense — Norway, even with backups, still created chances — but because of a dazzling offense.
In a World Cup that seems fixated on trying to make soccer more entertaining for its American audience, local fans were lucky on Friday to see a game in which the most compelling figures were the French ones in front of goal.
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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