France 7-3 Paraguay: 1958 World Cup Fontaine Hat-Trick Debut

# France 7-3 Paraguay: The First Step of Fontaine

June 8, 1958. Norrköping, Sweden. World Cup group stage. France vs Paraguay. Just Fontaine—the French striker whose miraculous thirteen-goal feat we spent two thousand words describing in the record series—scored his first World Cup hat-trick in this match. None of the three goals were particularly spectacular: a rebound, a header, and a shot from the edge of the box. That was Fontaine's style—he wasn't a player who scored with magic. He was the one who, at the right time, in the right position, used the right part of his body to put the ball into the net.

This match also marked the beginning of the chemistry between Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa and Fontaine. Kopa delivered countless passes to Fontaine, laying the first brick for the thirteen-goal record Fontaine would set at that World Cup. France eventually finished third—and that 7-3 victory was the start of everything beautiful that summer.