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Norway 1-2 Austria
ULLEVAAL (Dagbladet): On the day four years ago, Norway played around Germany and lost 3-0 at home in Ullevaal. Since then Per Mathias Høgmo was fired, Lars Lagerbäck came in and made Ullevaal a fort.
But on Friday, the Swede suffered his first fall at his Norwegian castle when Austria came to visit in the first Nations League match leading up to the World Cup final in 2022.
The guests dominated for a total of 60 minutes and led 2-0. Norway pushed the last half hour, but only received a reduction. After the game, Lagerbäck was not very happy:
– It’s pretty easy to summarize. It was a Norwegian team that didn’t work for 60 minutes. It was passive, it wasn’t the interaction we were supposed to have and we were spread out all over Norway, it felt like sometimes.
He continues:
– We tried to correct it during the break. The last 30 minutes, I think the Norwegian team went ahead. But they were very professional, they fell easily and they got the judge to do it. Still no excuse. We lost simply because we were a worse team, especially the first 60 minutes. We can only recharge our batteries and make sure we get revenge on Northern Ireland.
TV 2 expert Brede Hangeland isn’t impressed either:
– This was for a long time a reality check for a Norwegian team, a little lesson against a good opponent.
– Not the load we wanted in Ullevaal before the fateful match against Serbia in a month, added Øyvind Alsaker.
It is the semifinal of the play-off, where a ticket for the play-off of the European Championship next summer is at stake.
– It is difficult to explain. We do not interact as we should, it is the whole team that does not work, sighed Lagberäck at the post-match press conference.
King replaced
Former national team captain Brede Hangeland criticized the Swede from the commentary position for not making changes earlier. Only after 64 minutes did Alexander Sørloth enter, but Joshua King came out. Therefore, we could not see the three attack seats King, Sørloth and Braut Haaland together.
– Josh wasn’t sure about the match. It was because we didn’t want to risk him having a muscle injury that they took him out, we knew that beforehand. If he had been fully ready, he would have kept playing, explains Lagerbäck at the post-match press conference.
Debut error
After a dull and boring first half hour, it was Austria who took the lead in Oslo.
Morten Thorsby, who debuted early on, fumbled outside his own 16 meters down the right side of Norway. Then the guests took a bite. The ball was put in front of the goal, where Michael Gregoritsch put the ball into the goal.
– Too strict
Even a break talk didn’t seem to help. Norway remained just as docile after the break, and Austria was punished, after the ball hit Sander Berge’s arm, which was glued to his body.
– He’s too strict. Completely idiotic judgment, Brede Hangeland commented on television.
– Not the best judgment I’ve seen, Lagerbäck commented.
The penalty put Marcel Sabitzer safe in goal behind Rune Jarstein.
Haaland woke up
– Austria is the best in everything, Hangeland commented.
So Lagerbäck took action. Alexander Sørloth replaces Joshua King.
He only spent a few minutes assuming the role of waiter. He easily outplayed Eulalio Alves before circling goalkeeper Erling BRaut Haaland into the empty goal to make it 0-1.
His first goal for Norway’s A team.
– The question is whether the exchanges should have come earlier, Hangeland said after the match, because Norway failed to draw.
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Ten minutes before the end came the great opportunity. Mathias Normann launched a free kick into the box. Perfect on Sander Berge’s head, but the midfielder staggeringly headed out from close range.
Just before the end, Berge had the opportunity again, this time with his legs, but he threw the ball out again.
Norway’s second group match, Northern Ireland versus Romania, ended 1-1. Norway faces Northern Ireland in Belfast on Monday night.
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