Norway’s national team manager Ståle Solbakken chose to put Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard on the bench in the group final against France. Now, fans understand why.
Both teams went into their final group game with six points – and knew that advancing to the last eight was already in the box. While France’s interim boss Guy Stéphan fielded a strong team with Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Michael Olise, Haaland, Ødegaard and Ørjan Nyland all started on the bench for Norway.
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The fans and experts had a lot of thoughts about the moves before the match.
On ITV, pundit Roy Keane gave a balanced assessment:
“Remember that this team is not yet used to championship football, and there are two teams with different expectations. The French are expected to fight to win the World Cup. I think Norway’s priority was to get out of the group, which they have done. I think the manager has thought: ‘It’s going to be tough to get past France, so we’ll rest players and go again next week.’
“I understand where he wants to go. Yes, you want the mentality that allows you to go and win the game, but there is also a bigger picture. The two countries have different expectations.
The changes did not pay off immediately. Dembélé put Les Bleus 1-0 up after just seven minutes at the Boston Stadium. The PSG striker doubled the lead after 20 minutes – but Rangers’ Thelo Aasgaard reduced it to 2-1 just one minute later.
Unfortunately, Dembélé completed his hat-trick after just 32 minutes.
Norway got a little hope in the 50th minute when Theo Hernandez felled Oscar Bobb in the box, but Jørgen Strand Larsen saw his penalty kick saved by Mike Maignan. Doué made it 4-1 with a smart header in injury time in the second half.
How the loss against France can benefit Norway
Despite the criticism, Solbakken’s decision to field a weakened team could actually benefit Norway later in the tournament.
By winning Group I, France will face the third team from Group C, D, F, G or H in the round of eight. Sweden seems to be the hottest candidate to face France in the next round, while Norway’s second place means they will face Ivory Coast, who finished second in Group E.
Scotland, Paraguay, Egypt, Belgium, Iran, Uruguay and Cape Verde are all possible opponents for Didier Deschamps’ men.
Despite the fact that Ivory Coast has several talented players such as Yan Diomande, facing the Africans is probably an easier task than taking care of Sweden – with Premier League stars such as Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres.
Graham Potter’s Sweden lost 5-1 to the Netherlands on matchday two, but advanced thanks to 5-1 wins over Tunisia and 1-1 against Japan.
Ivory Coast will face Sweden in Arlington on June 30, while France’s round of eight final will also take place in New Jersey on the same day. France is on a collision course with Germany in the last eight if both teams win their last eight.
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