Ståle Solbakken left Haaland soccer player Erling Haaland on the bench for Norway's World Cup match against France at Boston Stadium. The move came before a group-stage game with the top spot in Group I on the line, and it came despite heavy interest from fans who expected to see him face France.
Solbakken also left nine other regular starters out and called the decision not to play his best players a "no-brainer." He said Norway had just come through a tough win over Senegal in hot, humid weather and had to be "smart rather than greedy."
France Strike Early
The match turned quickly once play began. Seven minutes in, Kylian Mbappé set up Ousmane Dembélé for the opening goal, and France moved in front before Norway could settle into the game.
France pressed again early, when Manu Koné had a shot saved by Egil Selvik. With Haaland on the bench, Norway had to answer without one of its few headline attackers, while France showed why it arrived with the weight of being the 2018 champion and the 2022 runner-up.
Norway's Tight Turnaround
The workload call followed a short recovery window after the Senegal win. That left Solbakken choosing between using his strongest lineup and protecting players for a tournament path that could still be shaped by the result in Group I.
Haaland had already told after the Senegal game that France was probably going to win against Norway and probably going to win the whole tournament. This was Norway's first World Cup since 1998, so the benching landed in a match many supporters had paid to see him play.
Solbakken's Choice
The immediate consequence was clear: Norway entered the game without Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, and the rest of the regulars Solbakken chose to rest. The larger tradeoff was just as plain. Norway protected bodies for the tournament, but it did so in a match that could decide first place in Group I and the easier route that came with it.
Whether Haaland's place on the bench was about workload alone or something else was not answered by the move itself. What was answered on the night was simpler: Norway chose caution over full strength, and France made the opening minutes count.
