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World Cup: Solbakken applauds Haaland’s impact as Norway eyes France showdown
23rd June, 2026 09:17 PM
Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has lauded star striker Erling Haaland following his impressive performance in the team’s 3-2 FIFA World Cup 2026 victory over Senegal on Monday, June 22, 2026, while revealing plans to rotate his squad for the upcoming Group I encounter against France.
Haaland continued his fine form at the tournament by scoring twice on Monday, taking his tally to four goals in two matches after also netting a brace during Norway’s 4-1 triumph over Iraq.
Reflecting on the forward’s display, Solbakken noted that Haaland could easily have finished with an even bigger haul.
“He missed an open goal today, so he could have scored even more,” Solbakken said after the match. “He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is not playing for France or Argentina. He is scoring goals for Norway.”
The Manchester City attacker’s two goals helped Norway move into a commanding 3-1 advantage before Senegal mounted a late fightback. The African side pulled one goal back and piled pressure on Norway during the closing moments of the contest.
Solbakken admitted that the tense finish made for an agonising experience on the touchline, especially as several of his players were battling fatigue and muscle cramps.
“Four or five of our players had cramps,” he said. “For a period, we were effectively playing with only nine or 10 players, and there was also a clearance off the line. It was a nightmare.”
While pleased with much of Norway’s performance, the coach acknowledged that his team struggled after Senegal narrowed the gap.
“That was the only period of the game when I felt we did not have control,” he said. “We could not stop the crosses and we were suffering physically.”
Despite the difficult ending, Solbakken felt Norway deserved the result against a Senegal team he considers among the continent’s elite.
“If we had played only slightly worse, we would have been in trouble,” he said. “We beat a very good team with a lot of tournament experience.”
Norway’s next challenge comes on Friday against France. Both nations have already guaranteed progression to the knockout rounds after winning their first two group matches.
Changes against France
With recovery now a major concern, Solbakken confirmed that he intends to freshen up his lineup for the clash.
“We will make changes against France,” he said. “It is not because we do not want to beat them, but because we need to put a different team on the pitch.”
The Norwegian boss explained that several players were close to suffering cramps by the final whistle and warned that a demanding travel schedule would make preparation even tougher.
“We have a very short turnaround, and the players were exhausted at the end of this game,” he said. “Some other players will get their chance.”
Solbakken added that the squad’s immediate focus remains on rest and recovery rather than tactical planning for France.
Looking ahead to the knockout rounds, he stressed that maintaining the same level of performance shown against Senegal would be crucial.
“We have to play as well as we did today. If we do that, we can beat a lot of teams.” He said.
