OSLO/BATUMI (Nettavisen): Martin Ødegaard abused a great chance in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw away to Georgia.
The midfielder had every opportunity to become the Norwegian match-winner after 77 minutes when he received the ball in the box from Alexander Sørloth, but in an incredible way the Arsenal profile managed to blow the ball over the goal from only a few meters away.
Norway’s captain was nevertheless voted as Norway’s best player by TV 2’s viewers and at NRK, former national team coach Åge Hareide believed that the Drammenser was among the best on the field. Hareide gave Ødegaard a seven on his exchange after the match.
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Drill critically
Another former national team coach, Egil Drillo Olsen, was however not significantly impressed by the 24-year-old on Tuesday evening.
In the TV 2 studio after the match, he clearly expressed that he thinks the midfielder did not rise to his usual level in Batumi.
Drillo first spoke about the misused chance for Ødegaard and the fact that he has only scored two national team goals for Norway in his total of 48 appearances with the flag on his chest, before he gave his verdict on the captain’s performance in the important match.
– It’s a bit of a coincidence, normally you score on one out of three or four goal chances. Sometimes you are out driving and score one out of ten. This is what happens. Suddenly, next game, you can score three out of four. You don’t have complete control over that, says Drillo.
– Martin is good enough to score here, we know that. That said, I actually think Martin is playing one of his worst games in a long time.
Ødegaard has been in brilliant form for the club team Arsenal this season and manages the London club’s midfield elegantly in the Premier League. He has also contributed a solid ten league goals in 27 games for the team that tops the table.
Hareide, for his part, summarizes Ødegaard’s struggle in the following way to NRK:
– Plays a lot with one touch and the Georgians never come up to him. Controls the game with full control. A pleasure to watch. Disappeared more in the 2nd half and burns a huge chance to make it 2-1 a quarter of an hour before the end. Such barrages could cost Norway an EC, Hareide believes.
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Ødegaard: – A bit simple
The Arsenal star was confronted with the criticism of The daily newspaper. Then he answered briefly:
– I do not agree. But it’s the same, says Ødegaard.
About the match, he points out that Norway should have been both more effective in attack and had better control when Georgia equalized at 1-1 some time into the second half.
– A long ball and a kick, and then they run straight through. I haven’t rewatched it properly, but it felt like it was a bit easy, but that’s the way it is. We have to put our chances forward and not concede such easy goals, says Ødegaard to Nettavisen.
Norway took the lead through Alexander Sørloth in the first half, but found it much more difficult after the break.
– Before the match I said that 1-1 or a draw was not so bad, but I am disappointed now. After that first half it looked very bright, but then we go a little bit more in the limelight in the second half, says Drillo about the match itself in the TV 2 studio.
– It probably has something to do with the fact that we have a game in our legs, which they don’t, but still, I’m disappointed with the second half. So many mistakes are made and even a class player like Martin Ødegaard makes more mistakes than we have seen in a very long time, he says.
Drillo: – Most disappointing
The way the match developed, Georgia created enough chances that they too could run away with all three points.
– A disappointing second half and at worst we could have lost this game. The most disappointing thing is that we let Georgia have three or four goal chances and that is very weak, says the man who led Norway to the World Cup in both 1994 and 1998.
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National team manager Ståle Solbakken said in the aftermath of the match that it was a disappointed Norwegian group that stood back after the end of the match.
– The players feel robbed and robbed, says Solbakken according to NTB.
– We had the toughest possible opening with two tough away games, a long journey and a time difference. We can talk until we’re green in the face, but I’m confident because of the performance. You cannot take away from us that we are a good football team, he continues.
Scotland’s victory over Spain later on Tuesday evening was also a line in the bill for Solbakken and the Norwegian team.
– When I saw Spain’s line-up, I thought it could happen. They took away everything out of routine. Then it becomes difficult when they come under.
Norway thus stands with only one point in the group after two games. Scotland top with six, while Spain remain with three. Georgia also has only one point, but the team has so far only played one game in this qualifier.
The two best teams from each group advance to the EC play-offs in Germany in the summer of 2024. Should Norway end up outside a direct place from the qualification group, the Nations League could be a way into the championship.
