{"id":16303,"date":"2026-06-28T08:21:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T02:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=16303"},"modified":"2026-06-28T08:31:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T03:01:46","slug":"ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9&#8217;s Long Wait Is Finally Over"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i>Watch Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and France live at the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> \u2014 stream every match on ZEE 5 today.<\/i><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#A_Cabinet_Full_of_Everything_Except_This\" title=\"A Cabinet Full of Everything Except This\">A Cabinet Full of Everything Except This<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#The_First_One_%E2%80%94_Against_Iraq\" title=\"The First One \u2014 Against Iraq\">The First One \u2014 Against Iraq<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#Watch_France_vs_Iraq_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\" title=\"Watch France vs Iraq Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5.\">Watch France vs Iraq Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#Then_Came_Boston\" title=\"Then Came Boston\">Then Came Boston<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#Watch_France_vs_Norway_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\" title=\"Watch France vs Norway Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5\">Watch France vs Norway Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/ousmane-dembeles-long-wait-is-finally-over\/#Four_Goals_and_a_Golden_Boot_Conversation\" title=\"Four Goals and a Golden Boot Conversation\">Four Goals and a Golden Boot Conversation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Three goals in 32 minutes. The second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history. A name on the Golden Boot leaderboard alongside Mbapp\u00e9, Haaland and Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior. For any other player, this would be the story of a career. For Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, it is the story of a single morning in Boston \u2014 and the payoff to nearly a decade of carrying every honour in the game except the one that matters most at this tournament: a goal in the games that count.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Cabinet_Full_of_Everything_Except_This\"><\/span><b>A Cabinet Full of Everything Except This<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Run through Demb\u00e9l\u00e9&#8217;s career and the achievements pile up fast. A World Cup winner&#8217;s medal from Russia 2018, where France lifted the trophy with a 4-2 final win over Croatia. A runner-up medal from Qatar 2022, where Les Bleus pushed Argentina to the limit in one of the great World Cup finals before losing on penalties. A European Championship final appearance with France. The Champions League, finally won with PSG \u2014 a club and a city that had chased that trophy for decades. Ballon d&#8217;Or recognition as one of the finest players in the world.<\/p>\n<p>All of it accumulated. None of them features a major international tournament goal. Through the World Cup wins, the finals, the deep runs, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 was the man who made things happen for others. He was the width, the directness, the unpredictability on the right flank that defenders could not plan for. He set things up. He created space. He was, in the truest sense, a team player at the biggest moments. But in front of the goal, in major tournaments, the net had remained stubbornly elusive.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_First_One_%E2%80%94_Against_Iraq\"><\/span><b>The First One \u2014 Against Iraq<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It finally came at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. Against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/iraq\/iraq-squad\">Iraq<\/a> in France&#8217;s second group game, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 found the net at a World Cup for the very first time. One goal. Modest in the context of what came next, but enormous in what it meant. The weight of all those tournaments \u2014 all those finals, all those campaigns \u2014 finally lifted with a single finish. He had broken his duck.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch_France_vs_Iraq_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\"><\/span>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/fra-vs-irq-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5989623?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">France vs Iraq Match Highlight<\/a> Free Only On ZEE5.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Then_Came_Boston\"><\/span><b>Then Came Boston<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What happened against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/norway\/norway-squad\">Norway<\/a> in the group stage&#8217;s final round was something else entirely. Three goals in 32 minutes, all of them different, all of them assured. A precise right-footed finish across the goalkeeper in the seventh minute. A curling left-footed drive from outside the box in the 20th. A composed finish under pressure from three defenders in the 32nd. Hat-trick complete. The crowd at the Boston Stadium gave him a standing ovation. The second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history had just been scored by the same man who, heading into this tournament, had never scored one.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch_France_vs_Norway_Match_Highlight_Free_Only_On_ZEE5\"><\/span>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/nor-vs-fra-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5993466?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">France vs Norway Match Highlight<\/a> Free Only On ZEE5<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Four_Goals_and_a_Golden_Boot_Conversation\"><\/span><b>Four Goals and a Golden Boot Conversation<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 ends the group stage with four goals \u2014 one against Iraq, three against Norway. He is level with Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Erling Haaland and Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior in the Golden Boot standings, just one goal behind Lionel Messi, who leads the race with five. Let that settle for a moment. A player who arrived at this tournament with zero career World Cup goals is now a genuine Golden Boot contender.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/france\/france-squad\">France<\/a> is at the top of Group I with three wins from three games. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 is their star player in his prime. He has gone from being the man who makes the game for others to the man who is winning it himself. He is 28 years old, at the peak of his powers, and standing at the threshold of the knockout stage of a World Cup with four goals already to his name. Whatever happens from here, the wait is over.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><i>Watch Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and France in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 knockouts live on <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE 5 FIFA Subscription<\/i><\/a><i> \u2014 subscribe from Rs. 799 for three months.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and France live at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 \u2014 stream every match on ZEE 5 today. &nbsp; Three goals in 32 minutes. The second-fastest hat-trick in World Cup history. A name on the Golden Boot leaderboard alongside Mbapp\u00e9, Haaland and Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior. For any other player, this would be the story [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":15163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3031,3298,3356,3039],"class_list":["post-16303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-france-vs-iraq","tag-france-vs-norway","tag-ousmane-dembele"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9&#039;s Long Wait Is Finally 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