Norway coach defends decision to leave out Haaland, Odegaard against France

FOXBOROUGH, JUNE 27: Norway coach Stale Solbakken defended his decision to leave out star duo Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard in Friday's 4-1 World Cup defeat against France, saying it was a "no-brainer".

"It was a no-brainer, for me, for the physio and for the medical staff, and for some of the players themselves," said Solbakken after he made 10 changes to his starting line-up following the 3-2 win over Senegal on Monday. "They all said it would be difficult for many of them, and then the only consideration is of course the fans in Norway and here.

"They would have wanted to see Erling and Martin but we want to go as far as we can so it was a no-brainer. It didn't take us long to come to that decision."

Solbakken said the relatively quick turnaround from Monday's win over Senegal was the key factor. He said Haaland and Odegaard were "team players, so they know what is best for the team."    �"AFP