Norway forfeits group match but focuses on knockout stage preparation
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 26, 2026, 10:14 PM
Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Norway lost 4-1 to France in their final group stage match on June 26. Coach Ståle Solbakken prioritized resting key players, including Erling Haaland, for the upcoming Round of 32 match against Ivory Coast. Despite the defeat, Solbakken expressed confidence in his team's energy and strength moving forward. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez also spoke about prioritizing player readiness over group standings, as his team prepares to face Colombia next.
- •Norway lost 4-1 to France in their group stage finale.
- •Ståle Solbakken opted for player rest over group victory.
- •Norway faces Ivory Coast in the Round of 32.
- •Portugal, likely through to the knockout stages, plays Colombia next.
- •Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat trick for France in the match.
- 10:14 PMYahoo Sports — Winning World Cup group takes a backseat to getting ready for the knockout stage for some teams
"Roberto Martínez knows that in his younger days coaching at the World Cup, he would have placed a high priority on his team finishing first in its group. “You sit down and you are so inexperienced, you want to plan everything,” Martinez said. Now in his third World Cup and first with Portugal, he has realized those plans do not always materialize — and he is not alone.
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