{"id":3861,"date":"2026-06-29T12:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3861"},"modified":"2026-06-29T12:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:34:20","slug":"fans-were-the-real-losers-when-norway-played-france-and-other-foxborough-world-cup-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3861","title":{"rendered":"Fans were the real losers when Norway played France, and other Foxborough World Cup takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Norway\u2019s 4-1 loss to France on Friday in the World Cup group stage finale for both teams in Foxborough was a disgrace, and no one wants to take any responsibility for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Comcast plans to split into two public companies by spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky<\/a><\/p>\n

Norway manager Stale Solbakken didn\u2019t show a trace of regret for benching 10 starters and disappointing scores of fans who paid three and four figures and crossed an ocean to attend the match, and millions of World Cup fans who were denied a marquee showdown of stars Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 vs. Erling Haaland.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way it is,\u201d Solbakken said. \u201cWe are here to proceed as long as we can. This was not a decision that took us a lot of time to get to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Solbakken was at least trying to do what\u2019s best for his team. FIFA doesn\u2019t have the same excuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

FIFA didn\u2019t comment about the match, but you can hear the possible response: \u201cIt\u2019s a blind draw. There\u2019s nothing we can do.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Malarkey. FIFA expanded the field to 48 this year, proving it can alter the tournament when it sees fit. A tournament that generates $11-13 billion in revenue is too big to leave everything up to chance. Having an exhibition-like atmosphere in any match in this tournament is simply unacceptable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Savory matchups, high stakes in World Cup knockout rounds<\/div>\n

Moving forward, FIFA needs to ensure that premier matchups like France-Norway are played in the first or second match of the group, guaranteeing both teams play for the win and give the fans their money\u2019s worth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the fans came last, which seems to be a theme with FIFA. <\/span><\/p>\n

Other takeaways from the final week-plus of World Cup group play:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Solbakken said he felt it important to rest his starters for Tuesday\u2019s match against a physical Ivory Coast squad in Dallas. But he took it to the extreme by sitting practically everyone for the entire match. Haaland and Martin \u00d8degaard couldn\u2019t have played a half, or even 25 minutes? Argentina benched Lionel Messi in its final group match, but he still entered the game in the 60th minute, and scored in the 80th.<\/span><\/p>\n

It sure looked like Norway was ducking rival Sweden, which would have been its opponent on Tuesday had Norway defeated France. Norway has won three in a row against Sweden and not lost in seven matches, but Norway is in the knockout round for the first time in 28 years and may not have wanted a familiar opponent.<\/span><\/p>\n

If that\u2019s what happened, Norway is really tempting fate by tanking and trying to pick its opponent. Imagine the uproar if the Patriots were facing the Bills in Week 18 for the AFC East title, but decided to bench Drake Maye and accept a Wild Card spot?<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Ranking the World Cup group games in Foxborough, from worst to best<\/div>\n

\u25aa That baffling no-call against England that should have given Ghana a penalty kick is no longer the worst call of the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

That honor goes to the VAR officials for calling offsides on Colombia to wipe away what would have been a game-winning goal in extra time in its 0-0 draw with Portugal. Davinson Sanchez was offsides by a toenail \u2014 literally \u2014 and the call enraged everyone but ardent Portugal fans. The call at least didn\u2019t cost Colombia the Group K title.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Shane van Gisbergen is NASCAR\u2019s leading active winner on road\/street courses with Sonoma victory<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cThis is exactly why supporters are losing trust in VAR,\u201d Thierry Henry said on Fox. \u201cThe technology was introduced to correct obvious mistakes, not create even bigger controversies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As with the NFL and MLB, instant replay is often more trouble than it\u2019s worth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25aa There probably aren\u2019t too many fans around here scrutinizing Czechia\u2019s road through the World Cup, but the Czechs have a legitimate gripe. <\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Different standards of adversity unite Germany, Paraguay on Monday in Foxborough<\/div>\n

Of the four squads in Group A, they were the only ones not to train at high elevation, practicing in suburban Dallas while the others were a mile high (or higher) in Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what do you know, the Czechs went 0-3, and all six goals they allowed in the tournament came in the second half \u2014 five of them coming in their elevation games in Mexico City and Guadalajara. In Czechia\u2019s final match, a 3-0 loss to Mexico, the announcers noted that Czechia could barely muster the energy to play defense in the second half.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25aa I realize it\u2019s blasphemy to ever criticize Messi, and he certainly delights millions of fans worldwide, but the Argentines sure seem to go out of their way to pad his stats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Messi scored all five of Argentina\u2019s goals in its first two matches, and attempted 12 of their 21 shots. He was the only player in the tournament to take at least 50 percent of his team\u2019s shots through the first two matches. Mbapp\u00e9, by comparison, took 12 of France\u2019s 30 shots. Brazil\u2019s Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior took 13 of Brazil\u2019s 38 shots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Messi has a seven-game scoring streak and leads the Golden Boot race with six goals. His team seems determined to get it for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25aa One big difference between soccer and American sports is how they treat fading legends. Mexican goalie Guillermo Ochoa, 41, got a token appearance in the 78th minute in the third match against Czechia. Brazil\u2019s Neymar made his first appearance in the 76th minute in the third match against Scotland. Neither seemed embarrassed by it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he deserved the opportunity to play, that\u2019s why I gave him it,\u201d Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said after the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you imagine Tom Brady ending his career as a backup with the Texans and making his only appearance of the season in the second half of Week 18?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25aa Wildest match of the tournament: Algeria and Austria playing to a 3-3 draw Saturday night, when neither team was incentivized to win and a 0-0 draw was the likeliest outcome. Algeria seemed to content to dribble out the final 15 minutes but surprisingly scored three minutes into extra time. However, not wanting to face Spain in the knockout round, Algeria promptly allowed Austria to tie the game and send \u201cLes Fennecs\u201d to a matchup with Switzerland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Everyone is willing to put themselves out there more\u2019: How the World Cup has given Boston\u2019s dating scene a kick-start<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Norway benched 10 starters and lost in an effort to set itself up for the elimination round rather than compete for first place in the group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nFans were the real losers when Norway played France, and other Foxborough World Cup takeaways - 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=3861\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fans were the real losers when Norway played France, and other Foxborough World Cup takeaways - 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