Solbakken to give Norway players a break after Haaland delivers in World Cup opener
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass., June 16 : Norway manager Stale Solbakken said his players can now enjoy a well-deserved rest after beginning their long-awaited World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Iraq on Tuesday in Foxborough, where Erling Haaland netted twice.
The Norwegians waited 28 years to return to football’s biggest tournament but there was little sign of stage fright, and with their next Group I game not until June 22, Solbakken wants his players to use their time wisely.
“I think it will be good for them to not see me the next two days,” Solbakken told reporters.
“A lot of people, a lot of players will have visits from their families. They can, of course, train if they want to, but if they prefer to play a round of golf, they can do that.
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“It’s really good to have a break now. It has been really intense and I think that everybody could feel that this was a big occasion and this is a tough tournament, and to be able to relax your brain and your body and to see your family, I think is a really good thing for them.”
Haaland came into the tournament with plenty of responsibility and expectation on his shoulders, but he more than dealt with the pressure on his World Cup debut.
“He liked the occasion, he lived up to the occasion. The occasion wasn’t too big for him,” Solbakken said.
“I had a good feeling. Before the game, the two last training sessions with him have been very, very good, so I had a quite comfortable feeling that he would do it for us today.”
Next for Norway is a meeting with Senegal, who lost 3-1 to France. Solbakken expects a tougher challenge in the two remaining group games, and is not listening to those who say that with three points they could probably get out of the group stage.
“There will be two teams that we will meet that are probably more at our level,” he said.
“I looked at their match, and Senegal, they looked really solid during large periods of the first half. So that is what we want to concentrate on.”
Source: Reuters
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