Norway’s men’s national football team has some of the best football players in the world, but like the women’s, just can’t manage to make them all succeed together. After losing another qualifying match late last week, the team won’t be participating in the European Championships this summer.
Not even the likes of team captain and Arsenal star Martin Ødegaard, international football star Erling Braut Haaland (who plays professionally for Manchester City) and the rising star Oscar Bobb could save Norway’s team from disqualification. Bobb scored Norway’s only goal in the match against the Czech Republic, which won by a score of 2-1.
The Norwegians even had the home turf advantage, and fans let the team know how disappointed they were. Head coach Ståle Solbakken claims he didn’t hear their disapproval from the grandstands at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, but said he was of course disappointed, too, especially over his team’s poor defense that allowed the Czechs to score. Haaland, meanwhile, didn’t manage to score against the Czech goalkeeper even though he’s known for lots of goals when playing for Manchester City.
It all means that Norway won’t have another chance at championship action until qualifiers begin for the next World Cup in 2026. That’s now the next goal for Solbakken and his team, which currently ranks a lowly 24th among European teams.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
