Norwegian coach Stale Solbakken urged his players to keep their nerves and not get drawn into the situation when they face Brazil on Sunday in the last 16 World Cup showdown.
The Norwegians, led by prolific striker Erling Haaland, have reached the top of the World Cup, winning three of their four matches to captivate the nation.
Still, the pragmatic Solbakken warned his players not to get carried away.
«We have to play the game, not the circumstances. We have to make sure that we don’t play based on the occasion, we just play the game,» he told reporters on Saturday.
The 58-year-old asked a lot of questions about Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. and how his team would defend against him.
“The left and right defenders are important, but it’s also about helping the full-backs so that they don’t end up in one-on-one situations, situations where you have to get up and do it alone,” Solbakken said, admitting that such situations would still arise.
“We also hope that our zone playing style can help, so that no matter who plays in the back positions, they will be supported by the next player.”
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Solbakken said one of the obvious keys to success for his side would be to get the ball in good positions to Haaland, who has scored five goals at the tournament so far.
«I think we have found ways to support him and give him the right service. We are a team that cannot wait for Brazil because we are an attacking team. During 90 minutes or 120 minutes against Brazil you have to defend for longer or shorter periods, and then we have to be at our best there,» he said.
In four attempts, Brazil have still never beaten Norway, but Solbakken said the South Americans remained favorites.
“I don’t think they are big, big, big favorites, which they might have been a few years ago… we have been doing very well for a long time, we have a lot of confidence and we also have a good style of play with the ball, and I think that helps us,” he said.
«I think it’s difficult to determine an exact percentage (of our chances), whether it’s 60-40, or 70-30 or whatever. The most important thing is that we can hurt Brazil on our day, but we still have to be our very best, otherwise we don’t have any chance. But if we’re at our very best, then we have a chance.»
Published on July 5, 2026
