Norway produced one of the most electric performances of the World Cup qualifiers, smashing Italy 4-1 at the San Siro and booking their first World Cup ticket since 1998. It was a night filled with goals, emotion, and—according to coach Stale Solbakken—a little too much celebration.
Italy had taken an early lead through Pio Esposito, raising faint hope of a miraculous qualification comeback. But once Norway settled into the game, the momentum shifted quickly.
Antonio Nusa equalised in the second half. Moments later, Erling Haaland reminded the world exactly why he’s one of football’s most terrifying forwards, scoring twice in two minutes. Jorge Strand Larsen added a fourth, sealing a historic night.
Inside the San Siro, the atmosphere went from tense to stunned. Then came the celebrations.
Norway’s dressing room turned into a full-blown party—singing, shouting, dancing. Even Solbakken got carried away.
And then came the apology.
The Norway coach later admitted that the celebrations may have been too boisterous inside Italy’s historic stadium.
He revealed: “I sang and danced with the lads in the dressing room. Perhaps we went a bit overboard with the celebrations, and I apologised for that. They understood.”
Rare honesty in an era of heated rivalries.
One of the biggest talking points of the night was the San Siro crowd applauding Haaland.
Solbakken wasn’t surprised.
He said, “That’s how it is for the greats. Here, they’ve seen Ibrahimovic, Shevchenko, Zanetti, Gullit, Klinsmann.”
Haaland isn’t just scoring goals—he’s entering legacy territory.
Italy’s night, in contrast, was a disaster.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso apologised to fans, admitting the team “got everything wrong.” After a solid first half, Italy folded completely under pressure. Fear. Fragility. Chaos.
The consequence?
For the third consecutive qualification cycle, Italy must go through the playoffs to reach the World Cup.
A nation with four World Cup titles hasn’t been to the tournament since 2014. The pressure heading into March’s playoff draw will be enormous.
Norway’s young squad has broken a 28-year drought and announced a new era. Italy, meanwhile, face yet another nerve-racking route to football’s biggest stage.
It was a night of contrasting emotions — joy and relief for Norway, frustration and fear for Italy.
World football couldn’t have written the script better.
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