Why Norway Benched 10 Players Against France in a Smart World Cup Move
Fans quickly understood why Norway’s coach Ståle Solbakken made ten changes before their World Cup Group I game against France. Both teams had already secured their spots in the round of 32, each sitting on six points.
While France’s stand-in coach Guy Stéphan picked a strong lineup with stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Michael Olise, Norway kept big names like Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, and Ørjan Nyland on the bench.
Before the match, fans and experts shared their views on this decision. ITV pundit Roy Keane offered a fair perspective: “This Norway team isn’t used to big tournaments yet, and both teams have different goals. France aims to win the World Cup, but Norway’s main goal was to get out of the group, which they did. Their coach probably thought it’s tough to beat France now, so resting players for the next games made sense.”
The changes didn’t help Norway on the day. Dembélé scored the first goal for France just seven minutes in, then added a second by the 20th minute. Norway’s Thelo Aasgaard quickly replied with a goal, but Dembélé completed his hat-trick by the 32nd minute.
Norway had a chance when Theo Hernandez fouled Oscar Bobb in the box, but Jørgen Strand Larsen’s penalty was saved. Dembélé’s teammate, Doué, sealed the match by heading in a fourth goal late on.
Even though some criticized Solbakken’s choice to play a weaker team, it might actually help Norway later in the tournament by keeping key players fresh.
By topping Group I, France will face a third-placed team from Groups C, D, F, G, or H in the next round. Sweden looks likely to be their opponent, while Norway, finishing second, will meet Ivory Coast.
Other potential opponents for France include Scotland, Paraguay, Egypt, Belgium, Iran, Uruguay, or Cape Verde. Although Ivory Coast has some strong players like Yan Diomande, they might be an easier match than Sweden, who have Premier League stars Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak, and Viktor Gyökeres.
Sweden had a tough start with a heavy loss to the Netherlands but bounced back with a big win over Tunisia and a draw with Japan.
Ivory Coast and Sweden face each other on June 30 in Arlington, the same day France plays their round of 32 game in New Jersey.
If all goes well, France could meet Germany in the round of 16 after the next round.