Norway coach Stale Solbakken addressed the 4-1 defeat against France, stating: "After the game against Senegal I had five or six players with some problems. The entire defensive line and some midfielders were unavailable. We knew this was the shortest period between matches. We wanted to win, but considering all the situations, I made this decision. Everyone advised us to make some changes. Some players who played against Senegal were unable to train normally. We played very well, Many players behaved correctly, we had five or six chances to score, even a penalty."
When asked about the presence of Ødegaard and Haaland in the next game, Solbakken replied: "I believe so, but they are team players like everyone else." Regarding the criticism, he said: "I don't agree. We played the best we could, the team had several opportunities. The French team has top-class players. Regarding Strand Larsen, he played a good game."
"I understand that the fans wanted to see Martin and Erling, everyone can have their own opinion about the team, but thanks to what we did, we could have a different team for the next game. Regarding Haaland and a possible round of 16 against Brazil, they have never beaten us in history. If that happens, it will be a great match. But we have a difficult game against Ivory Coast, who are one of the physically strongest teams. I believe Brazil will advance to the stage, but we will see what will happen."
"There are people who paid a lot of money to see Ødegaard and Haaland. Yes, I understand your opinion. We want to be here and play as many games as possible, I'm here to make the best decisions to move forward and not just to entertain. Now we have to change hotels and we have one less day of rest, that also justifies my choice."
Concluding, regarding France, Solbakken said: "They are among the 3-4 favorites to win the tournament. Without a doubt, they are one of the best with Mbappé, Dembélé, Doué. They have some of the best attacking players, so yes, they are big favorites". And about Dembélé, he commented: "I believe he played very well today. His three goals were of a very high level, it was impressive."