Surrendering early! Norway rotated 10 players and benched Haaland, seemingly choosing their opponents deliberately: aiming to face Brazil and Japan.

In the final Group I match of the World Cup on June 27 Beijing time, Norway lost 1-4 to France, finishing second in the group to advance. Regrettably, the eagerly awaited clash between Haaland and Mbappé, the "new twin stars," never happened on the World Cup pitch.

In this game, Norway, already through to the knockout stage, unexpectedly rested most of their key players, rotating a total of 10. Absolute starters including Haaland, Ødegaard, Nusa, Sørloth, and Ajer all remained on the bench.

Ultimately, the weakened Norwegian side fell behind 1-3 by halftime. In the second half, Norway's coach Solbakken still did not give the two superstars Ødegaard and Haaland any chance to warm up and enter the pitch; they watched the entire match from the substitutes' bench as Norway lost 1-4 to France.

Although Solbakken's decision to rest key players for fitness reasons after qualification can be understood, such an act of "surrendering early" and "deliberately choosing opponents" has sparked criticism and discontent among some fans: "Even if we're weaker than France, we didn't even have the courage to fight for half a half?"; "Rotating 10 players—first time I've seen a team do that in the World Cup!"; "If you don't want to play, go home!"

As Norway finishes second in Group I, their Round of 16 opponent is confirmed: the strong African team Ivory Coast. If Norway manages to get past that hurdle, their next challenge will be tough, as they will face the winner between Brazil and Japan.