Norway head coach Stale Solbakken acknowledged that his team was severely punished by France's rapid counter-attacks after losing the ball in risky areas during their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I encounter in Boston on Friday. The match ended in a 4-1 defeat for Norway, with Ousmane Dembele scoring a hat-trick to power France to a commanding victory.
Solbakken admits costly turnovers
Reflecting on the loss, Solbakken stated, "It goes very fast when we lose the ball a few times. Offensively, we created chances throughout the whole game, so the boys should have credit for that. It was not only in the second half that we created chances, but we also created big chances." He highlighted that Norway had four significant opportunities in the first half alone, but defensive lapses in possession proved decisive against a clinical French side.
"We had four big chances in the first half, so I think we deserve credit for it, but you can't lose the ball in certain areas here, because it goes so fast the other way," Solbakken added, as quoted by Reuters.
Group standings and qualification
Both Norway and France had already secured their spots in the knockout stages after winning their first two matches. France entered the fixture leading the group on goal difference and needed only a draw to finish first. However, they emphatically sealed the top spot in Group I with a dominant performance.
Key players rested for knockout stage
Notably, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard, and forward Alexander Sorloth were not in the starting lineup for Norway's final group stage match. Solbakken decided to rest several key players ahead of the Round of 32, prioritizing squad freshness to maximize Norway's chances of a deep World Cup run.
Defending his decision, Solbakken said, "The only argument for not doing what we did (resting 10 players) is that the fans around Norway and here could have seen Erling and (captain) Martin (Odegaard), but then it wouldn't be a long World Cup, and that's what we're here for - we're here to go as far as possible."
