Norway 3-1 Wales ended a quarter of a century of frustration for the hosts, as Erling Haaland’s late penalty sealed a gripping UEFA Nations League win at a rocking Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo on Saturday night.
Norway had not beaten Wales for 25 years, and for 45 minutes it looked like the wait might go on. Wales, bottom of League A Group A4 alongside the hosts before kick-off, defended with real discipline in the first half and even carried the greater threat, with Leeds winger Dan James twice firing wide in the space of four minutes before Egil Selvik denied him with a resolute near-post stop in the closing stages of the half.
The breakthrough, when it came, belonged to the player Sky Sports call the Norwegian Neymar. Antonio Nusa pounced on Joe Rodon’s headed clearance from a corner just before the hour mark, cut inside onto his right foot and drilled a low shot from the edge of the box beyond Karl Darlow’s despairing dive for his first League A goal.
How Norway 3-1 Wales unfolded after the break
Nusa was at the heart of the second goal too. Introduced from the bench in the 65th minute, Andreas Schjelderup needed less than three minutes to make his mark, racing onto a long ball before Nusa fed Haaland, who squared it for the substitute to slot home a simple finish at the back post.
To their credit, Wales refused to fold. Ethan Ampadu forced Selvik into a superb stop, and moments later David Brooks raced onto a neat one-two with Harry Wilson and cleverly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper for his eighth international goal, sparking hopes of a late comeback with 11 minutes left.
But Haaland had the final word. Connor Roberts was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Schjelderup inside the box, and the Manchester City striker sent Darlow the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 88th minute to wrap up the win. It could have been more emphatic still, with Darlow saving late from Nusa before Ben Davies blocked Haaland’s rebound.
Norway 3-1 Wales: Haaland’s penalty lifts Norway to second in Group A4
The result lifts Norway to second in Group A4 on six points from five games, with the hosts now in control of their own qualification destiny heading into the final round of fixtures. Wales, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom on three points with one match left, at home to Portugal in Cardiff on Tuesday, and now face a fight to avoid relegation to the second tier of the Nations League.
It was a measure of revenge for the reverse fixture in Cardiff on 1 October, when Wales came from behind to win 2-1. This time Norway’s second-half surge proved too much, and Flashscore named Schjelderup — a goal and a won penalty in 25 minutes off the bench — as its man of the match.
For Wales, the night belonged in part to James, who was replaced by goalscorer Brooks in the 72nd minute. The Leeds star had three shots at goal and an expected-goals figure of 0.27, and former Wales striker Nathan Blake still called his display brilliant despite the defeat. But on a night when the margins were fine, Norway’s quality in the final third made the difference.
Elsewhere in Group A4, Portugal face Denmark later on Saturday night, with the final round of group games to come on Tuesday. For more on the weekend’s football, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Bryan Berlin) — collage by SportsBuddy.
