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Following his side's loss to France in their final FIFA World Cup league stage match, Norway striker Erling Haaland defended his coach Stale Solbakken's decision to rest 10 players, including key players like himself, saying that "France was a better team anyway".
After sealing a round of 32 spot with two wins in their first two games, coach Stale made 10 changes to the Norway line-up, resting superstars like Haaland and Martin Odegaard. His tactic to give players some rest before the knockouts met with criticism, but Haaland, who had scored two braces in two games before being benched, defended his coach. Frederik Aursnes turned out to be the only one to keep his place from the previous match. As quoted to De Telegraaf, quoted by Goal.com, the coach said that his only regret was that the "travelling fans" did not get to see their stars in action. "We are here to go as far as possible, and I have to make the decisions that I think will take us the furthest. The only thing I feel guilty about is the traveling fans who wanted to see Erling, Martin, and the other stars," he said. Haaland also backed his manager, saying that even the best eleven would not have changed the result. "I said beforehand that I do not care, and that is still the case. France was the better team anyway. Even with our strongest 11, I do not think we could have beaten them," he said. Haaland admitted that France has "world-class players everywhere", such as Kylian Mbappe, hat-trick hero Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. "They will pose a problem for any team, and I honestly think they can go very far. What they showed against us was terrifying," Haaland concluded. (ANI)
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