What did Solbakken say after the painful defeat against England?

In a tense 2026 World Cup quarter-final match against England, the Norway national team lost 1-2 and ended their tournament run. Ståle Solbakken, the head coach of the Scandinavians who became the true revelation of the tournament, shared his thoughts after the game. Zamin.uz presents this statement, filled with emotion and tears.

“I feel very sorry for the boys”

The Norwegian coach emphasized at the post-match press conference that the defeat was very hard to take and that elite sports can sometimes be extremely cruel.

From Ståle Solbakken's comments: “I feel very sorry for the boys, but that is the cruelest part of elite sports. In the match against Brazil, luck was on our side, but today it was the opposite.”

Bad luck and praise for the players

According to Solbakken, many factors worked against the team in today's match. Nevertheless, he highly praised the character his players showed on the pitch:

• Willpower and resilience: The initial part of the game was very difficult for the Scandinavians. However, the team quickly recovered and fought until the end.

• Coach's recognition: The head coach, barely holding back tears, did not hide his pride in his players: “We lacked luck today and many things were against us. After those difficult first 20 minutes, it is impossible not to praise the boys,” he said.

Norway — the revelation of the World Cup

Recall that after this 2-1 victory, the England national team advanced to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals.

Although defeated, the Norway national team managed to win the hearts and respect of millions of football fans in this tournament, especially with their historic victory over Brazil in the Round of 16.