Brazil still favoured vs Norway at World Cup, yet an upset wouldn’t rival 1998

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ståle Solbakken knows all about Norway’s stunning upset of Brazil during the 1998 World Cup. He was a reserve and watched from the sideline in Marseille as his teammates delivered arguably the biggest victory in men’s football in the Scandinavian country’s history.

Now coaching the national team, he also knows facing Brazil on Sunday in the round of 16 is much different than that game nearly three decades ago in group play when his powerhouse opponent had nothing to play for. 

This time, a spot in the quarterfinals is at stake, and while Solbakken acknowledges it would still be a surprise if Norway knocks off the five-time World Cup champions, it is a realistic possibility in a matchup that is much more evenly matched.

“I still see obviously Brazil is the favourite (but) I don’t think they are big, big, big favourites, which they may be had been some years ago,” Solbakken said Saturday at a news conference ahead of the game. “We still need to be our very, very best. Otherwise, we have no chance. But if we are on our very, very best, then we have a chance.”

The oddsmakers back the 58-year-old’s assessment, with Brazil a slight favorite to advance to play the winner of the titanic matchup between Mexico and England on July 11 outside Miami. 

Seleção has won three in a row since opening the tournament with a draw against Morocco, also at the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey.

Norway has a win of its own at the stadium outside New York, defeating Senegal to advance to the knockout round. 

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti called Norway a challenging opponent because of its structure, as well as its talent.

“They have great players,” Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães said through an interpreter. 

“They are not in the knockout rounds by accident. It’s not that we are not respecting Norway. We just believe in our football. We believe in our country, and we want to continue on this dream.”

Standout Norway striker Erling Haaland has five goals at the World Cup, 25 over his past 14 competitive matches internationally and 60 in 53 with the national team. 

His next challenge is trying to shake Brazil’s back-line duo of Gabriel Magalhães and Marquinhos that Solbakken called one of the best central defenses around.

“There will certainly be some tough duels between them and Erling,” Solbakken said. “But for me it’s more about Brazil against Norway and not that those two against Erling.”

At the other end, Brazil features a dangerous forward trio led by Vinícius Júnior. He and Matheus Cunha have combined for seven goals through four games.

Asked to compare the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Haaland and the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder known as “Viní,” Solbakken said, 

“One is a machine that you can see the accelerations and the great physique, and the other is more a ballerina that can dance with the ball.”

Guimarães called Haaland one of the best attacking players in the world, in the same stratosphere as England’s Harry Kane.

“He is really something else,” Guimarães said. 

“We have to mark and attack. We do have to attack, but we got to make sure that somebody stays on him because with one ball he can decide the match and we don’t want to let him have it.”

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