"My thoughts are firmly with Didier during this time. I will connect with him later, but we are all thrilled that he will be back with us shortly and is expected to join training tomorrow afternoon," remarked Guy Stephan to reporters following France's impressive 4-1 victory over Norway in their final group stage match on Friday.

Deschamps missed the clash at Gillette Stadium near Boston to attend his mother's funeral in south-western France, who sadly passed away earlier in the week.

The former captain of France is set to conclude his tenure as coach of Les Bleus after this World Cup, marking an extraordinary 14 years in charge.

Ousmane Dembele shone brightly on the field, netting a remarkable first-half hat-trick as France cruised past a weakened Norwegian side, securing three wins out of three and finishing top of Group I with a perfect nine points.

Desire Doue, Dembele's teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, contributed to the scoreline with France's fourth goal late in the match.

"Ousmane was simply clinical today. Scoring three goals in a World Cup match is nothing short of exceptional," stated Stephan.

"I believe Doue's goal marked the first header of his career.

"There were numerous exciting moments throughout the game, and we could have easily added a couple more goals to our tally.

"While Norway is a quality team, they fielded a less-than-full-strength squad.

"It was a fantastic day filled with goals and memorable moments, and the players truly enjoyed the experience," the 69-year-old coach added, noting that Norway had rested their star players, Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard.

As the reigning World Cup champions from 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France arrived at this tournament as one of the favorites.

So far, they have lived up to expectations, now preparing for a last-32 encounter next Tuesday at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against either Sweden, who finished third in Group F, or the third-placed team from Group G.

"Securing that top spot was crucial for logistical reasons; a 45-minute flight is far more convenient than a three- to four-hour journey to Dallas," Stephan emphasized.

Meanwhile, Norway will head to Dallas to face Ivory Coast after finishing second in the group.