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Norway eyes World Cup upset vs. Brazil, coach says team has a 'chance'
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Sports

Norway eyes World Cup upset vs. Brazil, coach says team has a 'chance'

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Norway faces Brazil in the World Cup round of 16, with Norway's coach acknowledging Brazil as favorites but seeing a realistic chance for an upset.
  • Coach Ståle Solbakken noted the difference from the 1998 upset, emphasizing the need for Norway to play at its absolute best to have a chance against a strong Brazilian side.
  • The match features star strikers Erling Haaland for Norway and Vinícius Júnior for Brazil, with both teams expressing confidence in their abilities.

Norway's coach Ståle Solbakken acknowledged Brazil as the favorite heading into their World Cup round of 16 clash, but insisted his team has a realistic chance of causing an upset. He recalled Norway's famous 1998 victory over Brazil, noting that while the circumstances are different, the possibility of a win remains.

I still see obviously Brazil is the favorites (but) I don’t think they are big, big, big favorites, which they may be had been some years ago.

— Ståle SolbakkenNorway's coach Ståle Solbakken spoke at a news conference ahead of the match against Brazil.

"I still see obviously Brazil is the favorites (but) I don’t think they are big, big, big favorites, which they may have been some years ago," Solbakken stated at a press conference. He stressed that Norway must perform at its absolute peak to compete. "We still need to be our very, very best. Otherwise, we have no chance. But if we are on our very, very best, then we have a chance."

We still need to be our very, very best. Otherwise, we have no chance. But if we are on our very, very best, then we have a chance.

— Ståle SolbakkenNorway's coach Ståle Solbakken emphasized the need for his team to play at their highest level.

The match pits two of the tournament's most exciting talents against each other: Norway's Erling Haaland and Brazil's Vinícius Júnior. Haaland has been prolific, scoring five goals in the World Cup and 60 in 53 international appearances. He will face a formidable Brazilian defense, including Gabriel Magalhães and Marquinhos, which Solbakken described as one of the best.

They have great players. They are not in the knockout rounds by accident. It’s not that we are not respecting Norway. We just believe in our football. We believe in our country, and we want to continue on this dream.

— Bruno GuimarãesBrazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães commented on Norway's strengths and his team's mindset.

Brazil's midfielder Bruno Guimarães expressed respect for Norway but emphasized his team's belief in their own football. "We just believe in our football. We believe in our country, and we want to continue on this dream," he said. Brazil's attack is also potent, with Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha combining for seven goals. Solbakken offered a colorful comparison of the two stars, calling Haaland a "machine" and Vinícius Júnior a "ballerina."

One is a machine that you can see the accelerations and the great physique, and the other is more a ballerina that can dance with the ball.

— Ståle SolbakkenNorway's coach Ståle Solbakken described the contrasting styles of Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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