{"id":3599,"date":"2026-06-26T05:04:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3599"},"modified":"2026-06-26T05:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:04:04","slug":"no-matter-their-words-theres-plenty-at-stake-in-the-high-powered-meeting-between-france-norway-in-foxborough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3599","title":{"rendered":"No matter their words, there\u2019s plenty at stake in the high-powered meeting between France, Norway in Foxborough"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WALTHAM \u2014 France midfielder Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni knows Erling Haaland as \u201ca world-class player \u2014 he\u2019s astute in the [penalty area] and, in any moment, if you\u2019re not concentrating, you can pay for it. But we\u2019re ready for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Red Sox finally get to Cam Schlittler, take advantage of four Yankees errors to win series opener<\/a><\/p>\n

Tchouam\u00e9ni, though, did not seem prepared for Haaland\u2019s claim that France is \u201cprobably going to win against us. They\u2019re probably going to win the whole tournament.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d Tchouam\u00e9ni said via an interpreter Thursday before practice at Bentley University. \u201cNo, honestly, I don\u2019t know if he was kidding, or not. We stay focused on ourselves, game to game, we have to stay focused on ourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Haaland made his prediction when asked about Friday\u2019s France-Norway match in Foxborough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly I don\u2019t care too much, we\u2019re through,\u201d Haaland said after Norway\u2019s 3-2 victory over Senegal. \u201cWe managed to get through, which is incredible, so I couldn\u2019t care too much about that game now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

France and Norway (both 2-0-0, 6 points) will be playing for the Group I lead, which would mean a date with a third-place finisher on Tuesday in East Rutherford, N.J. The runner-up faces Group E runner-up Ivory Coast in Dallas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>World Cup scoreboard<\/div>\n

France assistant coach Guy St\u00e9phan said Haaland\u2019s contention lacked credibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe that much,\u201d St\u00e9phan said. \u201cThey say a team is better, in case they lose the match. Then, people don\u2019t feel so sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Haaland the jokester, then. Or is he playing mind games?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he said it a little bit as a joke, because it was just after a big, big, win,\u201d Norway defender David M\u00f8ller Wolfe said. \u201cSo, we were focused on the win, and not on the the next game. I think everyone wants to win and win the group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If Haaland is putting his kroners on Les Bleus, he is not alone. France is a strong favorite against the Norwegians, and also to capture its third World Cup title. With captain Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 leading the way, France has taken wins over Senegal (3-1) and Iraq (3-0). Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland have four goals each, tied with Brazil\u2019s Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior for second in the Golden Boot race, one behind Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not focused on being top scorer,\u201d Norway coach Stale Solbakken said. \u201cHe\u2019s focused on the team winning. He\u2019s a team player and he\u2019s equally happy when his teammates score. Of course, he has killer instinct and on the largest stage he is [among the] five best players. I think his greatest strength, and what makes his teammates love him is, he puts the team first and he\u2019s happy when others score and the team performs. So, it\u2019s not like he wants to make his way into a team just to be the top scorer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more After once pitching in a Red Sox uniform at Fenway Park, Cam Schlittler\u2019s one that got away \u2014 to the Yankees<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he will be, maybe he will score tomorrow. But he thinks about Norway first and, if you want to be the best scorer, you need to get to the final, and you depend on your team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Something like what Mbapp\u00e9 has been doing since making his World Cup debut as France won for the second time in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDifficult, of course, one of the best players in the world,\u201d M\u00f8ller Wolfe said of Mbapp\u00e9. \u201cCan create on his own, so much pace and power. It\u2019s going to be a real tough challenge for us, but we\u2019re looking forward to it. We believe we defend well as a unit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s teammates?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, it\u2019s world-class players. I\u2019m going to need help,\u201d M\u00f8ller Wolfe said. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to stop these kind of players one-v-one in big spaces, so it\u2019s cooperation with everyone around me on the pitch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 vs. Erling Haaland: Sizing up the striker showdown when France faces Norway on Friday<\/div>\n

France long ago planned for this situation, choosing Boston as its base and playing a warm-up game against Brazil at Gillette Stadium \u2014 Les Bleus won, 2-1, on goals by Mbapp\u00e9 and Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 on March 26. The idea was to stay close to their temporary home in the Northeast as long as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

St\u00e9phan, replacing head coach Didier Deschamps, who returned to France for his mother\u2019s funeral, said: \u201cOf course, [Deschamps], like the team, wants to finish in top position. Logistically, it\u2019s a completely different story. Second is way longer [travel] and different time zones and temperatures. Mainly, the logistics will be different, whether first or second.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe major thing is, we qualified. It doesn\u2019t happen that often that you get 6 points in two matches. If somebody said this to us two months ago, and Senegal would be [winless], for us, it would have been hard to believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tchouam\u00e9ni said he is getting used to Boston.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe days could have been even longer if we didn\u2019t have the atmosphere on our squad,\u201d Tchouam\u00e9ni said. \u201cWe spend quite a bit of time together, eat, free time. We have work to do, fitness work. We\u2019ve been here quite a while, it\u2019s true, but the days go by fast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know tomorrow is a very important match, and we have to win it \u2014 not to come in first in the group, but just to win. Every time we play, we play to win. They have really good players, we know it\u2019s going to be a tough battle. But we are going to be ready for what\u2019s coming for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Rob Rassey invigorated to be back with Harvard men\u2019s ice hockey, and thinks the Crimson can compete right now<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
How the \u2018Cop Slide\u2019 became a Boston landmark, and a World Cup destination<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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Boston is a city of landmarks. And at this point, there\u2019s no denying it: The \u201cCop Slide\u201d has become one of them.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Erling Haaland have four goals each, tied with Brazil\u2019s Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior for second in the Golden Boot race, one behind Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nNo matter their words, there\u2019s plenty at stake in the high-powered meeting between France, Norway in Foxborough - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No matter their words, there\u2019s plenty at stake in the high-powered meeting between France, Norway in Foxborough - 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