Norway must – Facing a round-of-32 showdown on Tuesday, Norway coach Ståle Solbakken says there is “no justification” if his team falls short against the Ivory Coast after rotating heavily for the final group game. Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae questions whether the rest dec
ARLINGTON, Texas — Norway’s manager Ståle Solbakken walked into the next round with a blunt message: if his team falls short in the round of 32 against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday, June 30, there will be no excuses.
The context is already loaded with pressure. Norway had conceded a hat trick to Ousmane Dembélé within a half-hour in its group stage collapse. ending the day 4-1 and finishing second. With a chance to beat France and win the group. Solbakken made 10 changes to his lineup and rested key stars including Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.
Solbakken said the group-stage performance at least matched what his side hoped to do. Norway advanced for only the second time in the country’s history. From there, though, the coach expects sharper execution when the tournament stops forgiving mistakes.
“We probably need to step up a bit even though the Senegal match apart from the last 10-15 minutes. for us. was a perfect game. We’re well-prepared, we’ve done what we’re supposed to do, the guys are happy,” Solbakken said. “We played games until late last night, everybody’s in a good mood, physically and mentally. We have no excuses.”.
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae met the matchup with a different kind of tension: not about tactics alone, but about whether Norway’s rotation was the right call.
Whether the choice to rest players and accept a round-of-32 clash with Les Elephants was wise is “difficult to say,” Fae said. The 42-year-old framed it as a question with only one real referee—results.
“In soccer, there’s no truth. I mean. you could have your team and win three group games. you could then lose directly in the knockouts. ” he said through a translator. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow and see if it was a good decision for the coach to adjust his team for the last game against France. They’ve got 26 players. he gave the opportunity to every player and I believe it’s good for the group. but we’ll see tomorrow if he was right or not.”.
Solbakken, for his part, isn’t expecting an easy path to redemption. To win that “extra bit,” he said Norway will need more than a star performance from Erling Haaland. The midfield also has to deliver, and Norway’s biggest job is matching the opponent’s physical edge.
“First of all, we have to match their physicality. They are maybe the most powerful team in the tournament,” said Solbakken, a former Norway midfielder. “Their center backs, two of the three from midfield, the dynamic they have, they’re a very, very physical team, very. strong.”
His plan depends on holding identity on both sides of the ball. If Norway matches Ivory Coast’s strength, Solbakken believes the game stays tight and could swing on fine margins.
“That’s the first thing. If we match that then we can keep our identity defensively and offensively. I think it will be a very even tight game that an go either way in terms of who has the match-winner, who has a little bit of luck on their side. I think it will be that close.”
The timing of the match adds another layer of strain across the bracket. After narrow results in all three of Monday’s round of 32 matches. including Brazil’s one-goal win over Japan. the tournament picture is set for close contests—Brazil will face the winner of Norway-Ivory Coast. For both managers. that means preparation in the weeks leading up to Tuesday will matter just as much as the decisions made when the group stage was already in the rearview mirror.
Norway vs Ivory Coast Ståle Solbakken Emerse Fae Erling Haaland Martin Ødegaard Ousmane Dembélé round of 32 Euro knockout stage sports news