Norway crush Italy 3-0 as Haaland, Sorloth shine in World Cup qualifiers
PARIS, June 7 — Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway as the four-time champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign yesterday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia.
Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the last two World Cups.
'I have no explanation. Our supporters don't deserve this kind of match. We need to do some soul-searching. It's unacceptable,' Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma told Rai Sport.
Italy are playing catch-up with Norway, the Group I leaders with a maximum nine points after wins over Moldova and Israel in March when the Azzurri were still involved in the UEFA Nations League.
Israel are second on six points after a 3-1 win over Estonia in Tallinn, where Norway will head for their next game on Monday. Italy return home to face Moldova in Reggio Emilia in their second game.
Belgium kicked off their qualifying bid in Group J with a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia.
Maxim De Cuyper gave Belgium the lead after Romelu Lukaku's shot was blocked but former Leeds man Ezgjan Alioski volleyed in the equaliser with four minutes to play in Skopje.
North Macedonia are unbeaten through three matches but trail Wales, who top the pile on seven points following a 3-0 home win over Liechtenstein.
Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore struck in Cardiff to keep Wales unbeaten since the appointment last year of Craig Bellamy, whose side head to Brussels next week.
'We could have made it a lot more (goals), and we'd like to make it a lot more,' Bellamy told BBC Wales.
'I'm looking forward to Monday (against Belgium).'
Croatia hammered Gibraltar 7-0 in their opening match in Group J.
Substitutes Franjo Ivanovic and Andrej Kramaric both scored twice, with Marco Pasalic, Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic also on target in the Algarve.
Czech Republic are the pacesetters in the section with three wins from three after a 2-0 victory at home to Montenegro. Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick got the goals for the hosts.
The 12 group winners qualify automatically for next year's expanded 48-team tournament, while the runners-up head into the play-offs which will decide the final four qualifiers from Europe. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group I - Norway v Italy - Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway - June 6, 2025 Norway's Sander Berge hits the post as Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma looks on Lise Aserud/NTB via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY. (Reuters) -Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway. Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany. A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride. It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half. "Enough!" screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the "World Cup is already at risk". Next year's World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there. Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi's chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France. The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica's front-page headline "Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns" hints at the frightening possibilities ahead. Italy's loss came less than a week after Inter Milan's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year's dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership. (Reporting by Trevor Stynes; editing by Clare Fallon)
The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Belgium coach shows faith in shaky defence
Soccer Football - European Qualifiers - Group J - North Macedonia v Belgium - National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje, North Macedonia - June 6, 2025 North Macedonia's Enis Bardhi in action with Belgium's Alexis Saelemaekers and Jeremy Doku REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski/File Photo SKOPJE (Reuters) -Belgium's defence came in for criticism after giving away a late equaliser to North Macedonia in their World Cup qualifier on Friday but coach Rudi Garcia said he had to show faith in them ahead of their next clash against Wales on Monday. Belgian media and commentators said the team were fortunate to come away with a point from their opening Group J fixture, even though they led for most of the game in Skopje. Hosts North Macedonia twice struck the woodwork and had a strike ruled out by VAR before grabbing an 86th-minute goal to draw 1-1. Garcia, in only his third match in charge, said he wanted to show trust in his defenders for the clash against Wales in Brussels. 'It's a matter of trust. Our defenders need that. I don't want to point fingers at them because we also have to be able to bring more offensively. We have the qualities for that,' he told reporters. Garcia said he did not feel he needed to adjust his defence, which in March conceded three goals to Ukraine in the Nations League promotion-relegation playoff. 'That's not necessary. Like I said it's a matter of trust for our defence. You can't solve that by adjusting the system.' Belgium are heavily fancied to take the automatic qualification berth for the group winners but Wales have taken the early lead in the group with seven points from their opening three matches. Garcia said there were several reasons for Belgium's mediocre showing in Skopje. 'The heat was one of them. But when you're 1-0 up, you can't give it up. It didn't go well. We made the wrong decision far too often with the last pass.' There were also questions about Garcia's changes, after he took out captain Thomas Meunier and talisman Kevin De Bruyne early in the second half. 'It's also a physical issue. And there's also quality on the bench. I substituted Meunier because he already had a yellow card and I need him on Monday against Wales because I only have one right back. 'As for De Bruyne, I also thought about Monday's match. Playing 90 minutes twice in three days is a lot at this stage of the competition. Incidentally, I thought that we regained control after the substitutions due to our physical superiority,' Garcia added. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare Fallon)
Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Watkins out of England's games against Andorra, Senegal with injury
Ollie Watkins scored 17 goals and provided 14 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa. (AP pic) LONDON : England striker Ollie Watkins will miss the side's matches against Andorra and Senegal after withdrawing due to a minor injury, the England team said. The 29-year-old, who scored 17 goals and provided 14 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa in the recently concluded season, has been capped 18 times for England, netting five times. With Watkins' withdrawal, captain Harry Kane and Ivan Toney remain England manager Thomas Tuchel's striker options for their two upcoming games. England play Andorra in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Spain on Saturday before hosting Senegal for a friendly match on Tuesday.
