France sealed its qualification for the round of 32 in the end like first in Group I after clearly imposing himself on Norway 1-4. The Norwegian team also managed to advance to the round by finishing in second position in the standings.
The name own of the meeting was Ousmane Dembélé, author of three of the four French goals. However, one of the most talked about actions of the match featured Kylian Mbappé, who also contributed to the victory with two assists.
Norway 1-4 France World Cup 2026 Summary
The controversy arose in the time of replacement. When leaving the field of play to make way for Matetathe French striker opted for handing the captain’s armband to referee Michael Oliver so that he could pass it on to Aurélien Tchouaméni, instead of personally giving it to your partner.
This decision was motivated by the current regulations on substitutions. According to the regulations, if a player takes more than 10 seconds to leave the field they can be sanctioned. In this case, Mbappé was exposed to receiving a yellow card and France playing a minute with one less player.
The scene has generated numerous reactions in the world of football. Many fans and analysts consider that the application of this rule takes the interpretation of the regulations to the extreme, since the usual thing is for the captain to directly hand the armband to the person who assumes that responsibility within the team, without the need to resort to a third party… and much less to the referee.
