France &Spain shine as Uruguay suffer shock World Cup exit

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By Shabbir Hussain

LONDON, June 27 (Alliance News):France and Spain secured top positions in their FIFA World Cup 2026 groups with important victories, while two-time champions Uruguay suffered a stunning early exit after failing to reach the knockout stage.

France continued their dominant campaign as Ousmane Dembele produced a sensational hat-trick to lead the world champions past Norway 4-1 and secure the top spot in Group I.

Dembele scored three goals in the opening half, finding the net in the seventh, 20th, and 32nd minutes to put France firmly in control. Norway briefly reduced the deficit through Thelo Aasgaard, but Dembele restored France’s advantage before Desire Doue completed the scoring with a stoppage-time strike.

Norway missed a major opportunity to fight back when Jorgen Strand Larsen failed to convert a second-half penalty, ending their hopes of a comeback. France finished the group stage with a perfect record and advanced to the last 32 as Group I winners.

Meanwhile, Senegal revived their World Cup hopes with a convincing 5-0 victory over Iraq. The emphatic win gave the African side their first points of the tournament and significantly improved their goal difference.

Despite the impressive performance, Senegal must wait for results from other groups to know whether they qualify for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

Spain also secured top position in Group H after defeating Uruguay 1-0 in a closely contested match in Guadalajara.

Alex Baena scored the decisive goal shortly before halftime after Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera failed to stop his shot. Spain extended their unbeaten run in competitive matches to 34 games and maintained a remarkable defensive record, remaining without conceding a goal in the tournament.

The defeat proved costly for Uruguay, as the result confirmed the elimination of the two-time world champions. Marcelo Bielsa’s team became the highest-ranked side to exit the competition during the group stage after collecting only two draws and one defeat.

The result also helped World Cup debutants Cape Verde make history by reaching the last 32. Cape Verde secured qualification after holding Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw and finishing second in Group H.

Cape Verde will now face defending champions Argentina in the knockout stage, while Uruguay’s disappointing campaign comes to an unexpected end.