Norway’s national men’s football team didn’t manage to beat the Netherlands in Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifier on home turf in Oslo. The team did manage to prevent the Netherlands from beating them, though, keeping alive hopes of a spot in the next World Cup.
The match at Ullevaal Stadium ended in a 1-1 tie. Norwegian football star Erling Braut Haaland was involved in most of the major action and scored Norway’s goal, but also missed some chances. Coach Ståle Solbakken nonetheless claimed Haaland made a heroic effort and should feel good about “not having to just defend ourselves all the time.”
Commentators claimed the Norwegian team could finally be satisfied with Wednesday’s presentation, with TV2‘s Jesper Mathisen calling the match “a big step in the right direction” after lots of disappointing results earlier. The match also left Norway with seven points after its World Cup qualifying group’s first four matches, just as many as the Netherlands and Montenegro. Other group members Turkey have eight, Latvia four and Gibraltar zero.
The Norwegians, meanwhile, mounted another pre-game demonstration against conditions for migrant workers in Qatar, where the World Cup is due to play out next winter. They posed for an official photo with a banner in English reading “Fair play for migrant workers! Human rights on and off the pitch.”
newsinenglish.no staff
