Strong criticism of the Vikings: They are cowards!

Zlatan Ibrahimović has accused Norway of lacking ambition after their 4-1 defeat to France, criticising Ståle Solbakken’s decision to heavily rotate his side before the match.

The 44-year-old said Norway had a chance to finish top of the group and avoid tougher knockout opponents, but still “feared” the game. His comments were aimed largely at Solbakken, who made 10 changes to his team and left Erling Haaland on the bench for the full 90 minutes. Captain Martin Ødegaard was also absent.

The match had been billed as a major showdown between Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, with both players having scored four goals in their first two group games and emerging as early contenders for the tournament’s Golden Boot. France also rotated some starters, but Mbappé was in the line-up from the start.

Solbakken defended the changes, saying Norway were not there “just for fun” and wanted to stay in the competition as long as possible. He said the team had shown signs of fatigue after their second group game against Senegal, and that the rest was aimed at keeping players fresh for the knockout stage.