ULLEVAAL STADION (VG) (Norway – Sweden 3–2) Norwegian victory, a controversial penalty situation and a world star in the center: Sunday’s match was in many ways a replay of the meeting in Stockholm.
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– It was a fantastic victory. I do not really have words. This is the first time I play for a full Ullevaal. Beating the Swedes in my last game of the season is great, says Erling Braut Haaland to TV 2.
After a bit of a stalemate against Slovenia, most voted for the top scorer against Sweden.
– I missed a lot last time. It was heavy, but then it’s extra good today. You can not get better than this, says Haaland, while he sees his own celebration.
– I’m not lying. I was “bad” nervous this time too, says Haaland about his own penalty scoring.
When Martin Ødegaard left, Haaland took over the captaincy.
– It was big. I had a great time. Now it’s time to dump her and move on. But I do not think I will take the trip to Sweden, laughs Haaland.
For the second time in a week, Erling Braut Haaland created a living nightmare for the Swedes. Two goals and one goal-scoring pass ensure that Norway has beaten Sweden twice in one week, and whizzes on in the top of the Nations League group.
– 10 points is huge. I could not dream of that, really. But we have been good at mobilizing. The desire to win matches has been great, says national team manager Ståle Solbakken to TV 2.
– I could not have been more satisfied. Before, we would not stand this distance as well, but we would deliver this in front of the Norwegian people. I have probably never had a better start to a summer, says Sander Berge to the same channel.
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Norway’s super striker needed just over ten minutes to do what no Norwegians managed in the goalless draw against Slovenia.
Left-back Fredrik Bjørkan was one of six changes on the team that played Thursday night. He whipped in a post on the first post, and then Erling Braut Haaland did not hurt to pray.
He snuck on the blind side of the Swedish stopper substitute Edvin Kurtulus, and nodded the ball down to the ground and past Robin Olsen in the Swedish cage.
– He is brutally strong, says Sweden’s national team manager, Janne Andersson, at the press conference after the match.
– He is one of the best strikers in the world, absolutely. It will be cool to follow him in the Premier League, says Tottenham player Dejan Kulusevski to VG.
Norway dominated the first half. Especially fresh the cairn newly composed the left side with Bjørkan, Mats Møller Dæhli and Morten Thorsby.
– We have a striker who is completely ill. It also helps, says Dæhlie to VG, before elaborating:
– There is not much more to say. He knows exactly when to use his powers. I’m extremely impressed
Norway’s biggest opportunity beyond scoring came when Dæhli used the overlap to Bjørkan as an opportunity to cut inwards in the field. Robin Olsen saved the attempt, but on the return Alexander Sørloth got a golden opportunity to nod the ball in an empty cage, but he failed to control the header under the crossbar.
After the break, the Trøndelag man stormed through and just reached the ball before Robin Olsen – and then went on the grass. The German judge Harm Osmers did not blow, but was recommended to look at the VAR screen for a closer assessment.
The German looked at the situation and considered that the contact was enough to sentence. Erling Braut Haaland stood up, took speed and hammered the ball in the opposite corner of where he left it at Friends Arena.
It was his 20th national team goal for Norway in just 21 games, and thus he crushes many of history’s greatest stars in the race to the milestone. According to NTB, he has 42 goals in 39 games this season.
Haaland cheered wildly together with his teammates, while Leo Skiri Østigård pointed his nose at the Swedish audience and was pointed out by stopper colleague Stefan Strandberg.
The Swedes created a certain nerve in the match again when Dejan Kulusevski and Emil Forsberg showed high class with a nice pass from the former, which the latter refined nicely with a quick touch and an equally fast and well-placed finish.
But with Erling Braut Haaland at the top, Norway suddenly looks a notch sharper than the Swedes. After smiling, applauding and raising the crowd in one turn at Ullevaal, he lifted the ball beautifully towards the back post.
There Alexander Sørloth stepped up and nodded the ball in cash into the grass and into the net. With 3-1, the road to points was too long for the Swedes, despite the fact that Ørjan Håskjold Nyland missed the ball and gave Viktor Gyökeres an easy job of putting the ball in an empty cage.
Sweden has one win and three losses in the first four matches in the Nations League.
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After 88 minutes, Erling Braut Haaland came in from the right, feinted, then sped past the off-balance defender to make the score 1 – 0, giving FC the go-ahead.
The footsteps subsided when Gyökeres reduced, but continued when the referee blew off the match a few seconds later. The insignificant reduction target was just another thing reminiscent of the settlement at Friends Arena a week ago.
The 3-2 victory was Norway’s first home win in a counting match against Sweden since 1977, which means that the red and whites top the group with ten points. The home match against Serbia and the away match against Slovenia will be played in September.
Victory in the group means promotion to the A-division, where you can meet significantly better opposition. Good results also mean better rankings and that Norway can draw easier opposition in next year’s European Championship qualifiers, and it is also possible to qualify for the European Championships through the Nations League.
In addition to the host nation Germany, 20 teams will go to the European Championships through the qualifiers next year, while the last three places will go to teams that qualify through the Nations League:
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