Haaland scored a hat trick as Norway crushed Romania

Norway-Romania 4-0

ULLEVAAL STADIUM: Perhaps Europe’s hottest striker couldn’t help but clap. He had just scored his fifth goal for the national team in the sixth game. However, Erling Braut Haaland had one of the worst performances we have seen him recently. Strictly, there was no reason for that either.

Well, from five meters in an open arc, almost anyone could score. It was Martin Ødegaard’s pass that greeted him. A bit by accident, the ball landed on Norway’s No. 10 in perfect scoring position. However, the Real Madrid player did not shoot. He rolled the ball toward Haaland.

The game turned 63 minutes. For the second time tonight, a pass from Ødegaard to Haaland had ended in a goal.

In the subsequent TV 2 interview, Haaland took his arm around Ødegaard and joked:

– I have to pay a little tribute to him. He finally came to his senses and focused me, and then it will be as it is, Haaland said with a smile.

Ten minutes after the 2-0 goal, Ødegaard had drifted off the field, but Norway’s new superstar was not finished for the night. This time it was Alexander Sørloth who was in charge of the pass.

Haaland managed to reverse the ball at 16 meters. Across the field, he broke free from two goalkeepers. Jærbuen struck, and thus had scored his first hat trick in the uniform of the Norwegian national team.

– Is big. But it’s a bit bitter not to establish all the possibilities, Haaland told TV 2 after the game.

When Haaland left the field with 12 minutes to go, it was Joshua King who stood up and applauded. Haaland has six goals in six games. With a couple of burned out chances, he could have had even more than the three he scored.

Coach speculation

Thus, Norway fought back tough and brutal after the Eurocup playoff against Serbia on Thursday ended in a solid recession.

Of course, Alexander Sørloth had not forgotten that slump:

– I sit down and I’m a bit cursed after the game, because you see how good we can be. It’s a little frustrating. but where it is also good to take revenge, we could have won 6- or 7-0, says Sørloth.

Martin Ødegaard thought similarly:

– We were good today. We needed this after the last game, we had to fight back. We do it in a good way. It’s nice, but a bit sad that we do it today and not against Serbia, says Martin Ødegaard on TV 2.

The burden for the game against Romania was first and foremost that Lars Lagerbäck was the right man to take the team further. The fact that Ståle Solbakken was sacked at FC Copenhagen on Saturday further accelerated speculation.

The game against Romania gave no new arguments to critics who want Lagerbäck to be left out.

Norway’s youth profiles showed why expectations for the national team are high. Lagerbäck said Saturday that he believes they are for big. Currently, they are not ready to go to a championship. Against Romania, at least there was revenge for the bitter 2-2 match at Ullevaal in last year’s European Championship qualifiers.

After 13 minutes, the 200 who escaped under strict coronary restrictions were awarded a goal by the team’s two big stars.

Ødegaard had a lot of time and space in his own half. He pushed forward and saw Haaland put the turbo to the left. The Real Madrid player was waiting for the right moment. The pass was perfect and the Dortmund forward scored easily just with the goalkeeper.

Hauge-debut

Lagerbäck made four changes in the game against Serbia. The infamous left, Haitam Aleesami and Stefan Johansen, were replaced. Birger Meling and Mohamed Elyounoussi entered.

They were responsible for the preparation when Alexander Sørloth was able to easily push the 2-0 in the open goal six minutes before the break.

Seven minutes before full time, Jens Petter Hauge made his debut for the national team. The new Milan player is the latest in a series of Norwegian profiles at major international clubs.

Norway will not go to the European Championship. Against Romania, perhaps we still got a glimpse of what the future has to offer.

– Today we played much better, especially in the attacking game, national team coach Lagerbäck told TV 2 after the game.

Norway will face Northern Ireland next Wednesday.