Solbakken Explains Why He Benched Starters Against France

Norway's head coach, Ståle Solbakken, has addressed his decision to rest key players in their 4-1 World Cup group stage loss to France.

The Norwegians had already secured their spot in the knockout rounds after victories against Iraq and Senegal, with the defeat to the 'Les Bleus' leaving them second in their group.

“It’s quite simple. After the match against Senegal on Monday, we analyzed the situation and found that five or six players were extremely fatigued after the 80th minute. This applied to the entire defensive line and some of the midfielders. We also knew that after the Senegal game, we would have less recovery time before today’s match,” Solbakken stated.

“We could have played a respectable match, but our goal is to win. We had to assess our chances of winning, considering the team's current condition, and how prepared we would be for the next game. Therefore, for me, it was an absolutely obvious decision. The physiotherapists, medical staff, and even some of the players themselves shared the same opinion. They expressed that it would be difficult for them to play this match,” the Norway coach added.