With a 4-1 win over four-time World Cup winners Italy on Sunday (November 16), Norway will be playing in the greatest tournament in sport for the first time since 1998, qualifying top of their group with eight wins from eight.
The victory over Gennaro Gattuso’s side felt like a watershed moment for Norwegian football. The San Siro was packed with expectant Italy fans, and Pio Esposito’s early opener made things a little tense. From then on, there was only one winner.
With one of football’s most powerful nations shrugged off like that, could Norway win the World Cup?
The Erling Haaland factor
It’s the blonde elephant in the room. Haaland may well be the best player on the planet at the moment, scoring a truly ridiculous 16 goals in Norway’s eight World Cup qualifiers; he’s turning up in a big way for his country, even if he was born in Leeds.
That goal tally equals Robert Lewandowski’s record of the most in a World Cup qualifying campaign. Haaland is undeniably Norway’s key man, and he has proven time and time again that he isn’t scared of any defence in the world, and no one has come up with a way to stop him.
He already has 32 goals across all competitions for club and country this season, and his brace in the win over Italy brings him to 55 in just 48 international appearances, 22 more than any other Norway player in history.
In an interview with Time Magazine earlier in the year, Haaland spoke of Norway’s chances, giving them a 0.5% chance, but he still dared to dream, saying: “If we would qualify for the World Cup, it would be like another big nation winning it. It would be the biggest party ever. Scenes in Oslo would be incredible.”
Luckily for Norway, should the absolute worst-case scenario happen, and Haaland doesn’t go to the World Cup for whatever reason, they have the equally huge Alexander Sorloth ready to step in and fill the void.
Exciting youngsters stepping up
One of the most remarkable things about this Norway side is how young they are. With an average age of 25.8, they’ve got one of the most exciting squads around, and those youngsters aren’t afraid of making their mark.
Wingers Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb are particularly impressive.
Nusa, 20, is having a decent season at RB Leipzig after years of nearly making it, although his best performances so far have come at international level. He scored the equaliser in the win over Italy, well and truly opening the floodgates, with a really tidy finish beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma just after the hour mark, his sixth international goal since breaking into the side two years ago.
Bobb, 22, is finally getting a chance at Man City after missing the vast majority of last season with an awful broken leg, starting five of his eight Premier League appearances so far. He also got in on the act against Italy, providing the assist for Haaland’s first goal.
Solid at the back
With all the focus being on the other end of the pitch, Norway’s defence has gone under the radar, but Stale Solbakken’s side conceded just five goals in their World Cup qualifiers, finishing with a goal difference of +32. Daft.
It all starts with Sander Berge and Patrick Berg running themselves into the ground in central midfield to ensure that Norway’s defenders are never left exposed, but the two at the heart of defence are the main men.
Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer is the more experienced of the two. He’s been with the Norway national team since before this golden age came knocking; in fact, he may well be the original Norwegian wonderkid. He was so hard to get past throughout the qualifying campaign, winning 23 duels, nine tackles, making 36 recoveries, and six interceptions over his eight games played, a
He formed a telepathic link with partner Torbjorn Heggem, and the Bologna man has similar numbers, winning nine tackles, winning 24 duels, and making 20 recoveries. They’ve become one of the best partnerships in European football.
Verdict
There are a few sides ahead of Norway - England, Spain, and France, to name a few - but if they get a decent draw and some luck in the tougher games, they should be considered dark horses at the very least.