Norway maintained their flawless start in the World Cup qualifiers with a decisive 3-0 victory over Italy at Ullevaal Stadion. The hosts dominated early, scoring all three goals in the first half, leaving Italy struggling in their opening qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.
Norway’s Alexander Sorloth opened the scoring after just 14 minutes, capitalising on a defensive error.
Antonio Nusa played a crucial role in Norway’s success. After intercepting Alessandro Bastoni’s long pass, Nusa advanced through midfield before assisting Sorloth, who scored from a tight angle despite Gianluigi Donnarumma’s touch. Shortly after, Donnarumma denied Sorloth again, but Nusa soon found the net himself with a skilful strike that left two Italian defenders colliding.
Erling Haaland added to Norway’s lead just before halftime. Martin Odegaard set up Haaland, who skilfully bypassed Donnarumma to score into an open goal. In the second half, Odegaard nearly assisted another goal when he found Sander Berge, whose shot hit the post. Italy managed only one shot on target late in stoppage time through Lorenzo Lucca.
Italy has faced significant challenges in recent World Cup qualifiers. They failed to qualify for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, and Luciano Spalletti is determined to change this for 2026. However, Italy struggled against Norway, marking their second consecutive loss in World Cup qualifiers-a first in their history.
Norway remains at the top of Group I with nine points, while Italy sits fourth but has played two fewer matches than Norway. Despite creating six shots during the match, Italy generated only 0.21 expected goals (xG), highlighting their offensive struggles compared to Norway’s 1.63 xG.
For the first time ever, Italy conceded three goals in the first half of a World Cup qualifier. This defeat adds to their woes as they aim to improve their performance and secure qualification for future tournaments under Spalletti’s leadership.