Islamabad, June 7, 2025: In Norway vs Italy, Norway pulled off a major upset by defeating Italy 3-0 on Friday, delivering a heavy blow to the visitors in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening qualifying match.
Norway now lead Group I with nine points from three matches, while Italy were playing their first game of the campaign.
The rain-soaked home crowd had something to cheer for early in the game. In the 14th minute, Alexander Sorloth timed his run to perfection, connected with a pass from Antonio Nusa, and calmly finished from close range.
Nusa stole the spotlight in the 34th minute with a brilliant individual effort. He controlled the ball with a slick first touch and fired home from the edge of the box to double the lead. Sorloth almost added another just a few minutes later but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma blocked his low strike at the near post.
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Norway’s third goal came before the halftime whistle of Norway vs Italy. Martin Odegaard sent a perfect pass to Erling Haaland, who found himself unmarked. Haaland dribbled past Donnarumma and tapped the ball into the empty net.
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The second half slowed down due to continuous rain, though Norway nearly extended their lead when Sander Berge struck the post with a powerful shot after the hour mark.
Italy had more of the ball throughout the match, but they failed to break down Norway’s solid defense. They managed only one shot on target. Their best chance came in stoppage time when Lorenzo Lucca’s header was easily saved by Orjan Nyland.
