Norwegian fans were less than thrilled to see star striker Erling Haaland on the sidelines for the World Cup group stage finale, which Norway lost to France 4-1.
Norway’s coach Stale Solbakken found the decision easy and defended the move post-match to reporters.
“This is simple. We did a summary after Senegal [on Monday], and five or six players were very affected after 80 minutes of play. The entire defense and some midfielders were very affected,” Solbakken explained.
“The only consideration is taking the fans in mind. They would have wanted to see Erling and Martin [Ødegaard], but it didn’t take us any time to decide this.
“Erling and Martin are team players; they know what is best for the team. The fans want to see them, but hopefully, we can give them some good summer nights in the next few weeks.”
Norwegian fans began chanting “We want Haaland” at Boston Stadium, clearly clamoring to see their star go toe-to-toe with French star Kylian Mbappe.
Solbakken took the precaution to protect his Golden Boot contender.
Haaland has four goals in two matches played, tied for second with Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe and only trailing Lionel Messi.
The win gave France the top spot in Group I and put Norway in second place.
Norway has been a big story throughout the group stage.
Their fanbase has gone viral for their “Viking Row” celebration, which the Norway team, including Haaland, took part in after their win over Senegal on Monday.
Norway’s faithful can look forward to seeing Haaland return in their first match of the knockout stage, where they will take on Ivory Coast on Tuesday at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
