Why Norway Benched Haaland Against France, and Whether the Gamble Paid Off

Before kickoff in Boston on Friday, attention in world football was fixed on a showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Instead, Norway coach Stale Solbakken stunned observers by leaving Haaland on the bench and making 10 changes to the lineup that had won its first two group games. The move triggered immediate debate over whether it was smart long-term management or a mistake that cost Norway first place in the group.

On the field, the match quickly became the Ousmane Dembele show. The Ballon d'Or winner scored a hat-trick in 25 minutes, powering France to a 4-1 win, a perfect group-stage record of nine points from three matches, and first place in the group. Haaland, who had scored four goals in Norway's first two matches, did not play at all.

Solbakken defended the decision, saying, "This was a decision that did not need to be thought about twice." He added, "I, the medical staff and some of the players felt this was the right thing to do." After the Senegal match, he said five or six players looked exhausted after 80 minutes, including the entire back line and two midfielders, and that Norway had the shortest recovery window before facing France. "The only thing I thought about was the fans," he said. "They wanted to see Erling and Martin Odegaard play, but my responsibility is to take care of the team."

Not everyone agreed. Former England striker Ian Wright said he was surprised Norway changed 10 players after using the same side against Iraq and Senegal. BBC analyst and former Scotland player Pat Nevin said Norway's usual lineup, with several players over 1.93 meters including Haaland, would have posed a very different problem for France. Haaland himself had said after the 3-2 win over Senegal that he did not care about the France game and thought Norway might lose, even adding that France could win the tournament. Norway finished second in the group and will face Ivory Coast in the round of 32, with the winner set to meet either Brazil or Japan in the round of 16.