2 hours ago
12
Key events
So much for that Erling Haaland versus Kylian Mbappé shootout: Norway coach Stale Solbakken has rested the striker. He’s one of ten players stood down, with the only regular starter to retain his starting spot being Benfica midfielder Fredrik Aursnes.
The teams
Norway: Selvik, Aursnes, Falchener, Ostigard, Bjorkan, Thorstvedt, Berg, Aasgaard, Bobb, Larsen, Schjelderup.
Subs: Nyland, Tangvik, Thorsby, Ajer, Wolfe, Sorloth, Berge, Haaland, Odegaard, Pedersen, Heggem, Nusa, Hauge, Langas, Ryerson.
France: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, Theo Hernandez, Tchouameni, Kone, Dembele, Olise, Doue, Mbappe.
Subs: Samba, Risser, Gusto, Digne, Thuram, Barcola, Kante, Rabiot, Konate, Saliba, Zaire Emery, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Cherki, Akliouche.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England).
… and here’s what France have gotten up to. A Kylian Mbappé double double, giving us a chance to double down on our double-double riff with a double-double-riff double.
Here’s how Norway have done so far. An Erling Haaland double double.
This is how we saw it from the outset. Not much has changed. Yet. Reacquaint yourself with both squads, and let’s go.
Preamble
One of the tournament favourites meet perhaps the most transparently obvious of the dark horses. In purely reductive terms, it’s Kylian Mbappé versus Erling Haaland … and you know what, purely reductive terms are good enough to whet the appetite for this one. Mbappé and Haaland have already contributed four goals apiece in the first two matches; these teams have found the net 13 times between them already. So this could be a doozy, especially as top spot in Group I will at least theoretically prove beneficial come the knockout phase. Though it doesn’t always work out that way, of course. Let the good times roll at 8pm BST, 3pm EDT, 5am AEST. It’s on!
