Why Norway rested 10 players against France in a calculated World Cup gamble

Fans have realised why Norway manager Ståle Solbakken made ten changes ahead of his side's World Cup Group I clash against France.

Both sides entered their final group game on six points, knowing they had already qualified for the round of 32.

While France stand-in boss Guy Stéphan fielded a strong starting XI featuring stars Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Michael Olise, Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard and Ørjan Nyland all started on the bench for Norway.

Fans and pundits offered their thoughts on the move ahead of the match.

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Speaking on ITV, pundit Roy Keane gave a balanced take: "Remember, this team isn't used to tournament football yet, and it's two teams with different expectations. The French are expected to compete to win the World Cup.

"I think Norway's priority was to get out of the group, which they have done, and I think their manager has thought, 'It will be tough to get past France, so we'll rest players and go again next week.'

"I can see where he's coming from. Yeah, you want the mentality that you can go and win the game, but there's also the bigger picture. The two countries have different expectations."

The changes did not pay off as Dembélé put Les Bleus 1-0 up just seven minutes into the contest at Boston Stadium.

The PSG forward added a second on 20 minutes before Rangers' Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back for Norway just a minute later.

However, Dembélé completed his hat-trick on 32 minutes.

Norway were offered a glimmer of hope in the 50th minute when Theo Hernandez brought down Oscar Bobb in the penalty area, but Jørgen Strand Larsen saw his resulting spot-kick saved by Mike Maignan. Doué made it 4-1 with a smart header in second-half stoppage time.

How losing to France could benefit Norway

Despite coming in for criticism, Solbakken's decision to field a weakened line-up may actually benefit Norway later in the tournament.

By winning Group I, France will face the third-placed team from one of Groups C, D, F, G or H in the round of 32.

Sweden appear to be the leading candidates to face France in the next round, while Norway's second-place finish means they will face Ivory Coast, who finished second in Group E.

Scotland, Paraguay, Egypt, Belgium, Iran, Uruguay and Cape Verde are all other possible opponents for Didier Deschamps' side.

Despite Ivory Coast boasting several talented players, such as Yan Diomande, facing the African side is arguably a kinder task than taking on Sweden, who boast Premier League stars Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres.

Graham Potter's Sweden suffered a 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands on matchday two but advanced thanks to a 5-1 win over Tunisia and a 1-1 draw with Japan.

Ivory Coast face Sweden in Arlington on June 30, with France's round of 32 clash also taking place in New Jersey on the same date.

France are on course to meet Germany in the round of 16 if both sides progress through their round of 32 ties.