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Erling Braut Haaland’s first national team goal was action. He reduced in the 66th minute after great preparation by captain Stefan Johansen and substitute Alexander Sørloth, but the draw did not come.
Thus, Norway not only came off lopsided in the national league, the team also lost their invincibility aura at home a month before their rematch for a Euro berth against Serbia. The loss at home was Norway’s first in exactly four years.
Not only was it the first loss at home since Germany won 3-0 on the same date in 2016, it was the first loss in ten games, since 1-2 against Spain in March last year.
– It was 60 minutes of bad football and 30 minutes of slightly better football. It was not a good match on our partnational team coach Lars Lagerbäck told TV 2.
Lagerbäck thought Norway was too passive and stagnant. It was a day that didn’t work out for Norway.
– We also don’t work together as a team. Passivity is over, and then Austria is a good team, and they also played a good game, said the Swedish coach from Norway.
Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg) and Marcel Sabitzer (Leipzig) scored the goals for Austria. Both came after referees’ decisions that Norway had reason to be unhappy with, but it cannot be assumed that the guests were clearly the best and deserved the victory.
Machine problem
It had been 291 days since the last international game, the longest hiatus since World War II, and it is no exaggeration that there were rust and cobwebs on the machinery of the Norwegian team. Austria also sprayed sand with high and aggressive pressure, with most of the first half played in the Norwegian half while LASK goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was left alone and out of work.
Opportunities were also waiting for the guests, but it was not undeserved when they took the lead in the 35th minute, despite the fact that Norway should probably have had a free kick in the previous game.
Xaver Schlager was on Morten Thorsby’s foot when he tackled him from behind just outside Norway’s 16 meters, but the referee let him pass. Andreas Ulmer entered very well in front of the goal, where Kristoffer Ajer arrived too late and midfielder Gregoritsch volleyed acrobatically from close range.
With nine players from the German Bundesliga and two from the national series, the Austrians were well aware of Haaland’s qualities, and they also seemed to know how to stop him. The young goalscorer was invisible with one or two exceptions in the first half, and at half-time Austria had had 10 close attempts, Norway none.
New class
The pain worsened for Norway early in the second half. Mathias Normann received a yellow card for the harsh treatment of Sabitzer, the biggest star left in a ruined Austrian team. Norway struggled to clear the free kick and Karim Onisiwo fired the ball into Sander Berge’s arm. The referee deemed it necessary to qualify for a penalty kick, and Sabitzer fired 2-0 into the corner.
Norway moved up a bit when the team were two goals behind, and the speed of things was when Alexander Sørloth arrived in the 64th minute. Two minutes later, captain Stefan Johansen played it wonderfully forward, and Haaland repaired his position. It was Norway’s first final in the match. Austria was 13 at the time.
Rune Almenning Jarstein kept Norway in the game with great saves when first Sabitzer and then Christian Baumgartner had great opportunities to increase the lead.
The match was alive, but the defeat could not be avoided despite Lagerbäck making offensive moves towards the end.
