"The players did what they had to do. They were very affected by this loss," Guy Stephan told mirror.co.uk after France's 4-1 win over Norway. His most important update came after that. Stephan said Didier Deschamps will be back for Saturday's training session and before the round of 32, after leaving camp midway through the week following the death of his mother, Ginette.

The result in Norway vs France gave France a convincing win, but Stephan's remarks made clear the bigger story was Deschamps' return and the way the squad handled his absence.

Deschamps' return timeline

Stephan was explicit about when the France coach is expected back. Speaking after the game, he said: "They are very close to Didier and wanted to do something special on the pitch. I did congratulate them at the end of the match and said Didier will be back for the training session tomorrow and before the Round of 32."

That gives France a clear timeline. Deschamps was not back for the match itself, but Stephan said he is due to rejoin the group for training on Saturday and will be in place before the knockout game.

It also shifts the focus away from a standard post-match recap. France scored 4 times and won comfortably, yet Stephan's comments were mostly about the emotional state of the squad and the message they had received from their coach before he departed.

The squad's response in his absence

Stephan said the group had been told directly by Deschamps what had happened. "The players did what they had to do. They were very affected by this loss. They heard Didier talk and tell them that he had to leave. They did hear that from Didier directly."

That part matters more than any attempt to turn the performance into a simple show of professionalism. France won, but the assistant's explanation was that the players were processing bad news from someone they are close to and trying to respond on the pitch.

There was still plenty in the game itself to reflect that response. Ousmane Dembélé scored 3 goals in 65 minutes and hit the target 3 times, finishing every shot on target he had. On a night shaped by the absence of the head coach, Dembélé provided the cutting edge that turned the occasion into a comfortable win.

The scoreline stays secondary here, but it would be wrong to ignore how decisively France played. Stephan's explanation was not that emotion weighed the team down. It was that the players wanted to do something special, and the performance matched that description far more than a scrappy result would have done.

Norway's selection call in the background

There was a separate subplot on the other side. Erling Haaland started as a substitute for Norway, and Stale Solbakken defended the call after the match. He said: "I feel the fans in this situation. But we have given them a couple of victories. We have given them an opportunity to win more games. We don't need to be the naive country that plays for fun. It was a no-brainer to leave Haaland and Martin Odegaard on the bench."

Norway made 10 alterations, only the fourth instance in World Cup history of a side making that many changes between matches. That helps explain Solbakken's thinking, even if it did little to soften the reaction to leaving his biggest names out.

Still, this was not really Norway's story by full-time. France's win sat inside a more serious update around Deschamps, and Stephan left little room for confusion over the next step. The coach is expected back with the squad for Saturday's training session.

FAQ

When will Didier Deschamps return to the France camp?

Guy Stephan said Didier Deschamps will be back for France's training session on Saturday and before the round of 32. Deschamps had left the camp midway through the week after the death of his mother, Ginette.

Why were France players emotional after the win over Norway?

Stephan said the players were very affected by the family loss and heard directly from Deschamps that he had to leave. He said they are very close to him and wanted to do something special on the pitch in his absence.

Did Ousmane Dembele score a hat-trick against Norway?

Yes. Ousmane Dembélé scored 3 goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway. He did it in 65 minutes and scored with all 3 of his shots on target.

Why did Norway leave Erling Haaland on the bench against France?

Stale Solbakken defended the decision by saying Norway did not need to be naive after already securing progression. Haaland was named as a substitute, and Martin Ødegaard also started on the bench.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →