[ad_1]
Ian Baraclough may find comfort in the troubled start to Michael O’Neill’s successful reign as Northern Ireland coach, but the comparisons must end there. With a Euro 2020 spot on the line in next month’s play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, O’Neill’s successor cannot afford a repeat of this jaded display and punish defeat against Norway.
Erling Braut Haaland destroyed them with a display that underscored why his international coach, Lars Lagerback, has drawn parallels with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the eve of the match.
The Borussia Dortmund striker, who embodied strength and finesse, scored two sublime goals and helped create two more for Alexander Sørloth. A disjointed and inexperienced home defense could not with any of them.
“We knew the loss of Jonny would stretch us [Evans] and Jamal [Lewis] and I would find it difficult against this strike force, ”said the Northern Ireland manager. “They were ruthless. Haaland is a £ 100 million player, right?
Baraclough’s first home game and Steven Davis ‘119th appearance for his country, a feat that equaled Pat Jennings’ record, had created an upbeat atmosphere around the game, but four goals in the first 19 minutes were the stat that gave. form at night. It soured the night from a Northern Ireland perspective, as Norway scored three of them.
Lagerback got the answer he demanded after his team’s surprise home loss to Austria last week. Celtic’s Mohamed Elyounoussi started the flurry with a polished finish from Stefan Johansen’s influential cross pass. Hearts right-back Michael Smith left too much room for his man and was punished before he had time to recover, Elyounoussi carefully controlled his chest and outscored Bailey Peacock-Farrell on the home goal with a first shot.
Northern Ireland immediately defended itself. Young Arsenal defender Daniel Ballard released Conor Washington behind the Norwegian defense. His shot was stopped by goalkeeper Rune Jarstein and the ball broke perfectly for Paddy McNair to enter an empty net. The parity, coupled with the threat from Baraclough’s team, was only fleeting.
In one minute, Haaland demonstrated the prodigious talent that sets him apart on the Windsor Park field. Norway were clearly targeting Ballard and Smith with long and diagonal balls and Sørloth dominated the aerial challenges. His header deflected slightly from Ballard, but the Dortmund forward adjusted his body with ease to sweep an unstoppable drive past the Burnley goalkeeper on the half volley.
Haaland also took part in the third, as Norway established a comfortable lead in the first half. The forward released Haitam Aleesami down the left and the winger sent an alluring cross to the back post for the first time. Sørloth, unmarked, steered the ball home with ease.
Evans’ absence was deeply felt by a team that cannot afford to lose the Premier League experience and he was not the only first-team player unavailable to the Northern Ireland manager. Lewis, in talks with Newcastle about a Norwich move, was also absent, while Josh Magennis was suspended following his dismissal against Romania.
Baraclough changed to 3-5-2 for the second half with Ballard struggling with a hamstring problem and his team in dire need of improvement in the final third. Northern Ireland had offered shortly after McNair’s goal, but the manager’s expected recovery was shattered moments after the restart when Norway scored for the fourth time.
Haaland was at the center of it all, almost inevitably again, breaking into the home defense after exchanging passes with Johansen and selflessly taking on Sørloth with only Peacock-Farrell to beat. The Crystal Palace outcast was not wrong and the worst was for Northern Ireland when Haaland scored his second of the night. Defensively, the hosts were very out of shape when Omar Elabdellaoui’s skillful header sent the forward on target, but there was no foul on the shot. Haaland fired another great left-handed shot around Peacock-Farrell to condemn Northern Ireland to their toughest home loss in 18 years.
