Ibrahimovic: 'Norway is scared'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Norway's decision to rotate almost their entire squad for the match against France at the 2026 World Cup.

The Nordic representatives made as many as 10 changes to their starting lineup compared to the match against Senegal. Photo: Reuters .

Norway caused a surprise by retaining only one starting player from their win against Senegal in their final Group I match of the 2026 World Cup on the morning of June 27th.

Fredrik Aursnes was the only name to remain in the starting lineup, while coach Stale Solbakken rested 10 key players, including the number one goalkeeper and star striker Erling Haaland .

This move immediately sparked much debate because the match was crucial in determining the top spot in the group. France only needed a draw to retain first place thanks to their superior goal difference, while Norway had to win if they wanted to take first place and gain an advantage in the knockout round.

Legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic disagreed with the Nordic team's approach. The former Swedish striker argued that Norway squandered their opportunity to gain an advantage by being too cautious before kick-off.

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"Norway had the chance to top their group and face an easier opponent in the knockout round, yet they were afraid before the match. That's not the mentality you need when wearing the national team jersey at the World Cup ," Ibra commented as a commentator on Fox Sports.

Conversely, coach Solbakken defended his decision. He stated that many players were overloaded and suffered cramps after the victory against Senegal, forcing the coaching staff to prioritize conserving their energy for the round of 32.

The Norwegian manager likened the pressure at the World Cup to "a pressure cooker" and emphasized that the top priority is maintaining a squad that is in top physical and mental shape.

While Norway actively rotated their squad, France still fielded Kylian Mbappe in the starting lineup despite making some adjustments in other positions. The match, which was expected to be a showdown between Mbappe and Haaland, thus lost one of its most notable highlights when the Norwegian striker started from the bench.

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Source: https://znews.vn/ibrahimovic-na-uy-so-hai-post1663547.html