Erling Braut Haaland, Manchester City’s prolific forward, declared Norway “too good” to be absent from a World Cup, following a commanding 3-0 victory over Italy in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign. This emphatic win at Ullevaal Stadion marks a significant step for Norway, who have not qualified for a major tournament in 25 years.
Norway now boasts a perfect record after their first three qualifying matches in Group I, where they are pitted against Israel, Italy, Estonia, and Moldova. The dominant performance against a footballing heavyweight like Italy has ignited hopes among Norwegian fans of ending their long-standing qualification drought.
“We are too good not to play in final tournaments. I need to play both at the World Cup and at European championships. Not to put pressure on myself, but I have to,” Haaland told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, reflecting the growing confidence within the squad under manager Stale Solbakken. Haaland himself sealed the 3-0 scoreline with Norway’s third goal just before halftime.
The night belonged to 20-year-old Antonio Nusa, who was deservedly named “Man of the Match.” The dynamic forward was instrumental in Norway’s opener, setting up Göran Sorloth, before doubling the lead himself with a brilliant individual effort. “I don’t know what to say, it was an unbelievable night, totally unbelievable. Look around here. It’s absolutely incredible to play at Ullevaal, and I love it. It was a good match today. I was on. There is still a long way to go, but we are on the right track,” a thrilled Nusa commented.
Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth, who opened the scoring, echoed the sentiment of a memorable evening. He described the atmosphere at Ullevaal as “absolutely fantastic.” “I knew we had the level to produce results like this. We have struggled to show it, so it is so damn nice to finally do it,” Sorloth added. He expressed disbelief at taking a 3-0 lead against a footballing powerhouse like Italy into halftime, crediting the “almost perfect first half” to getting the “right guys in play” and an “amazing job” from the entire team.
Norway will aim to continue their perfect run when they travel to Tallinn to face Estonia on Monday night in their next World Cup qualifier.
