Norway has put its World Cup jitters behind it and now believes deep down it can beat England in the quarter-finals, coach Stale Solbakken said on Friday as his team prepared for the biggest match in the country’s history.
The Norwegians are preparing for their first World Cup appearance in the last 16 of the World Cup and Solbakken urged his players not to be overawed by the occasion when they face Thomas Tuchel’s England team on Saturday.
“The most important thing for me is that we have the ball ourselves and that we dare to play the game and not the whole environment, and that we concentrate on the field,” Solbakken told reporters.
“I would like to see a Norwegian team playing to their strengths and us being ourselves.”
The Norwegian tournament got off to a shaky start against Iraq, with Solbakken admitting his players looked overwhelmed by the occasion in the group opener before finding their rhythm in a 4-1 win.
“You saw a very nervous team in the first 20 minutes against Iraq, where we failed to complete two passes,” he said.
“That has something to do with the occasion, that it has been 26 years (since Norway’s last major tournament) and no one has played in the World Cup before.”
CONFIDENCE BOOSTED BY BEATING BRAZIL
But the coach believes his players have found their feet after beating strong opponents such as Brazil in the round of 16, giving them the confidence to counter England’s formidable attacking threat.
«Obviously when you come across a team like England who have great players on the wings. (Jude) Bellingham and (Harry) Kane, they can score from many positions,» Solbakken said.
«They have a great duo in the middle of the park. We have to compete there, we have to defend well.»
«The players feel deep down that they can beat England. But obviously we have to be at our very best. If we don’t, England will go through.»
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The coach also praised his side’s mental state ahead of the biggest match of their careers, saying they have maintained their composure despite mounting pressure.
«They are very good at keeping their composure. They like to be together and they needed another day after the match against Brazil to really get back in the right mood for the next match,» he said.
«But we had five days, so that was no problem. We have now had three good days of preparation, so we should be there.»
When asked what would be the biggest reason for Norway’s success if England are eliminated on Saturday, the coach smiled and said: «I’ll answer that if we beat them.»
Published on July 11, 2026
