FOXBOROUGH, June 27, 2026 (v7n) – Norway coach Ståle Solbakken defended his decision to leave out star duo Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard in Friday's 4-1 World Cup defeat against France, calling it a "no-brainer" given the quick turnaround and the team's broader ambitions.
"It was a no-brainer, for me, for the physio and for the medical staff, and for some of the players themselves," said Solbakken after making 10 changes to his starting line-up following Monday's 3-2 win over Senegal. "They all said it would be difficult for many of them, and then the only consideration is of course the fans in Norway and here. They would have wanted to see Erling and Martin but we want to go as far as we can so it was a no-brainer. It didn't take us long to come to that decision."
Solbakken noted that the relatively short turnaround from the Senegal match was the key factor, adding that Haaland and Ødegaard are "team players, so they know what is best for the team." Manchester City striker Haaland had scored four goals in Norway's first two matches—a brace against Iraq and two more against Senegal—which had already secured Norway's place in the knockout rounds.
Without Haaland, Arsenal midfielder Ødegaard, and other regulars like Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth, Norway were torn apart by France. Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat-trick for Les Bleus, and Désiré Doué added a fourth late on. Thelo Aasgaard scored Norway's lone goal, while Jørgen Strand Larsen had a penalty saved just after half-time that would have brought the score to 3-2.
"Obviously our fans want to see Erling, they want to see Martin, but hopefully because of this we can give them some good summer nights in the next weeks," added Solbakken, whose side now travel to Dallas to face Ivory Coast in the last 32 next Tuesday. He described the Ivorians as "a very good team, physically one of the best in the tournament. Like our game against Senegal, this is a very 50/50 game so we need to be at our best."
France, meanwhile, made four changes to their lineup—bringing in defenders Maxence Lacroix and Theo Hernández, midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, and forward Désiré Doué—while retaining their first-choice attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Dembélé. The team was led by assistant coach Guy Stéphan in place of Didier Deschamps, who returned to France following the death of his mother. Both France and Norway had needed a win to top Group I, with France securing that spot after the victory.
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