Norway struggled to win against Northern Ireland in the Nations League

NORWAY – NORTHERN IRELAND 1-0:

ULLEVAAL STADIUM (Nettavisen): Because while the temperature dropped to zero on the Ullevaal mat on Wednesday, the Norwegian game didn’t get too hot.

And where both Haaland and Sørloth had countless opportunities in the Belfast settlement, Northern Ireland had a completely different approach to the match in Ullevaal.

The guests came down early, and it quickly became clear that for Norway it was primarily about unlocking Northern Ireland’s defense, but the only one who ultimately found the key was Stuart Dallas.

STOCK EXCHANGE: This is how Norway played against Northern Ireland

The defender was unlucky when he shoved the ball into his own net from a Norwegian corner after the break, and neither he nor his teammates came close to threatening Norway’s lead in the final minutes.

The result means that Norway, like Austria, now have nine points after four games in the Nations League.

Read also: Northern Ireland player taken out of the meeting with Haaland: – Perhaps it was not the smartest thing to do

Martin Ødegaard made his 25th international match for Norway on Wednesday, winning the golden bell at the age of 21. The profile of Real Madrid was far from happy with the team’s effort.

– We won and that was the most important thing, but I think it is far from being good enough, Ødegaard tells TV 2.

– We are too passive and let them join the fight. We can’t create the great. I think it is a weak party, he continues.

National team coach Lars Lagerbäck acknowledges that the team has a bit to go on in offensive play, especially against teams that remain as short and compact as Northern Ireland was in Ullevaal.

– We got a bit elaborate in the attacking game, Lagerbäck tells Nettavisen.

– We had great ball possession, but it didn’t help. This is not how goals are scored. We have to learn to face such a defensive game and play more directly. But the most important thing was the three points we got, says the coach of the national team.

He is supported by Captain Omar Elabdellaoui.

– We have a lot of ball, but we don’t create the greatest opportunities. Sometimes it goes a bit slow, but we won the match and that’s the most important thing, says Elabdellaoui.

Press conference with Lars Lagerbäck after Norway – Northern Ireland

Former national team coach Egil Drillo Olsen was also not very impressed with Norway’s game. Especially the first round that you think was weak.

– We did a bad, very bad first round. Then thankfully he improves a bit in the second half. At first we fell into the trap with too many passes. We stopped with hard drive attempts that we started the match with and we were about to score an early goal. Unfortunately, we eventually stopped doing that, then it only got worse and worse, says Drillo in the TV 2 studio.

– The second half is at least close to being passed against a tough opponent like it was, he continued.

Haaland great opportunity

In the increasingly cold Oslo air, Norway took command early in the game, and after two minutes Martin Ødegaard and Erling Braut Haaland appeared.

The combinations between the two became too much for Romania on Sunday, and already after a couple of minutes Ødegaard was back in his butler’s apron.

The profile of Real Madrid took place in space, before gracefully tilting the ball over the Northern Ireland defense.

At the other end, Haaland waited and Jærbuen got a good shot from close range.

The ball went through visiting goalkeeper Trevor Carson, before rolling towards the line. There, however, appeared Jonny Evans, who came to the rescue and was avoided at the last second.

The Northern Ireland team went down early at 5-3-2, giving Ødegaard plenty of room on the right. The young man, who already won the golden bell after 25 games in the senior team on Wednesday, became a lot on the ball, but he cloned it completely after 19 minutes.

A misunderstanding between him and midfielder Stefan Strandberg allowed the visitors to rush towards the Norwegian goal, but André Hansen, who entered the goal for Rune Jarstein, saved Josh Magennis’s shot brilliantly.

– You can not do this. We can’t drive and cabbage like that, TV 2 expert Solveig Gulbrandsen said during the break.

Lars Lagerbäck opted to give Joshua King a chance to be on top from the start on Wednesday, but both he and the rest of the Norwegian team struggled to get a vote in the first round.

The Northern Irishmen got the match more and more on their way, but in the first half overtime, Norway should have taken the lead for Braut Haaland.

The Borussia Dortmund forward sneaked into the back post and received a perfect post from Birger Meling, but the 20-year-old’s header went straight to Carson.

Dallas own goal

The second round began as the first ended; with a great Norwegian opportunity, directed by Martin Ødegaard.

The Norwegian jewel retreated to the right, before finding King’s left foot.

The 28-year-old freed himself nicely down the left before reaching the end, but Carson avoided scoring with a beautiful one-handed save.

Thereafter, the Norwegian team continued to attack Northern Ireland.

With Lagerbäck wandering restlessly on the sidelines, the hosts struggled to penetrate a deepening Northern Ireland defense, and when the hour passed, the national team coach took action.

King and Mathias Normann were sacrificed in favor of Fredrik Midtsjø and Alexander Sørloth, and the goal finally came.

A corner kick from Ødegaard found one of Stefan Strandberg’s curls, before hitting the post.

The Leeds defender was clumsy and unfortunate when, at the rear of Sørloth, he ended up beating his own goalkeeper and shoving the ball into his own net.

Northern Ireland tried to lift the team in search of a tie, but never came close to outwitting André Hansen.

This means that Norway now have nine points in group B1, the same as Austria, the group leaders.