Erling Haaland played a pivotal part in helping Norway to their first FIFA World Cup campaign since 1998 when they defeated 4-time champions Italy 4-1 in a qualifier last week. The Manchester City striker had his fair share of on-field confrontations during that match, mostly with Italy’s Gianluca Mancini who was given the unenviable task of marking him.
“At 1-1 he started to touch my ass, and I thought ‘what are you doing?’ Then I got a little fired up and said to him, ‘Thank you so much for the motivation, let’s f****** have it’,” Haaland told TV2 as per the Mirror.
Haaland, who has been in hot form, scored 2 goals against Italy which sent the former champions to the World Cup play-offs in order to qualify for the next edition. The Italians haven’t had the best of times in these play-offs, missing out the 2018 World Cup in Russia and then the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after losing to Sweden and North Macedonia respectively.
Norway, meanwhile, ended the qualifying campaign with a perfect record of eight wins, finishing six points ahead of Italy
Needing a nine-goal win because of Norway’s superior goal difference, the Italians came out full of aggression and made the early breakthrough just after the 10-minute mark, as Francesco Pio Esposito swept in a close-range finish.
The hosts were dominant until the last minutes of the first half and went close to a second goal several times with Norway having only a half-chance when a shot from Antonio Nusa went over the bar.
However, it was a completely different Norway in the second half and Nusa equalised in the 63rd minute with a left-foot finish from inside the box.
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With Norway in control in the closing stages, Italy paid the price for leaving Erling Haaland unmarked in the box in the 78th minute as he met a cross and volleyed home with ease.
Haaland then wrapped up the match with a second goal a minute later, taking his tally for the campaign to 16.
Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the fourth in stoppage time for the visitors, who showed they would be no pushovers at next year’s tournament.
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