Sweden has still not recovered from the fiasco in Pristina, 0–2 away against Kosovo on Monday evening. At the same time, the Norwegian national team is steaming on in their World Championship qualifying group with rarely seen self-confidence.
At home against Moldova at Ullevål in Oslo, Norway had a field day. And no one had more fun than Erling Haaland, when the Norwegians took their fifth win in as many matches in the World Championship qualifying.
First, Haaland and the team's other big star, Martin Ødegaard, cooperated when they elegantly served Felix Myhre to an open goal for 1–0 in the sixth minute.
Incredible goal average
Then Manchester City star Haaland did what he does best: goals. Many goals.
Haaland scored 1–0 in the 11th minute, 2–0 in the 36th minute and completed his genuine hat-trick in the 43rd minute – the last two goals after passes from Martin Ødegaard. Already then, the 25-year-old had scored 46 national team goals in 45 A-internationals, but he was not finished.
Ødegaard curled in 5–0 just before the break before he again left it to Haaland, who headed in 6–0 a few minutes into the second half.
Earlier in the qualifying, Norway has also run over Italy at home (3–0) and Ståle Solbakken's men are storming towards a place in next year's World Championship. In the end, goal difference may be decisive for which nation takes the only direct spot in the World Championship, and young Thelo Aasgaard made sure that Norway now has a solid lead even there.
Second competitive international match
Aasgaard was substituted in in the 64th minute. He scored 7–0 in the 67th minute. A sloppy own goal gave an unexpected Moldovan reduction, but Aasgaard pressed in 8–1 shortly after. And when Norway was awarded a penalty two minutes later, the teammates gave the ball to the 23-year-old – who had only made one competitive international match before. The Rangers midfielder splashed in 9–1, and became Norway's second hat-trick scorer for the evening.
Erling Haaland saw to it with his fifth goal of the evening that it became double digits when he sent in 10–1 in the 83rd minute. Aasgaard did not want to be much worse, and concluded the show with his fourth, played by Haaland, in stoppage time.
The 11–1 win is the Norwegian men's national team's largest since 9–0 against Armenia three years ago.
The Norwegians now have an incredible 24–3 goal difference in five matches and, apart from a six-point lead over Italy – which, however, has one match in hand – they have 16 plus goals to lean on with three matches left to play.
