ULLEVAAL (Dagbladet): Norway meets Scotland in what must be said to be a match of fate in the battle for European Commission participation next year.

If Norway loses this match, all hope of playing in the European Championship seems lost. With a win, we’d suddenly get seriously involved again. A classic win or lose situation for Ståle Solbakken’s squad.

For a long time it looked very promising. Erling Braut Haaland sent Norway ahead with a penalty after 60 minutes.

– It’s taking off. Simmering in Ullevaal, said Jesper Mathisen on TV 2 – and added:

– The world’s worst goalscorer did it! Very important score!

– Hard to believe

But minutes from the end, Norway really messed it up.

Østigård drew Scotland 1-1 in the 86th minute.

– I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It happens at this level, said Øyvind Alsaker.

– Amazing to watch, added Mathisen.

But it got worse: for Scotland it made it 2-1 soon after.

– This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen, said the TV 2 duo.

– This has been the toughest day so far in Ståle Solbakken’s time as national team coach, they conclude.

Norway never recovered.

– This is a big loss for Norway, said Mathisen.

Shouted penalty

It was a very quiet start to the match, with little to no fight for position within the first ten minutes.

– We struggled a bit to find the rhythm, said commentator Øyvind Alsaker on TV 2.

Soon after it exploded, as Ola Solbakken went loose down the left. His cross found Alexander Sørloth, who should have headed home. His header went straight to the keeper.

After 19 minutes, Solbakken called for help following the situation on the pitch.

– It must be VAR. WE! exclaims expert Bernt Hulsker at the Dagbladet TV studio.

The judge didn’t listen.

He also didn’t do that before the break.

– It’s on the verge of a red card! shouted Jesper Mathisen on TV 2 after Haaland was sent flying past him.

After watching the replay, he was even clearer:

– He should have been sent straight to the locker room!

But the referee actually pulled a yellow card.

TV 2 criticized or stopped Stefan Strandberg’s appearance in the back row.

– He’s very disheveled, said Mathisen on TV 2.

In the first half, Hulsker Dagbladet was unfriendly.

– It was weak, he said of Norway’s first half.

Norway assistant coach Kent Bergersen agrees.

– We should do more with the ball. And then walking too slowly, he said during a break.

New situation

10 minutes into the second half, the trend is still the same.

– This is a recipe we saw in the first half that didn’t work, said Øyvind Alsaker on TV 2 broadcast.

Soon after, Haaland was brought down by Hendry in the box. Not enough for punishment now either.

– He was dragged! You should sleep, Erling! Hulsker shouted in the Dagbladet studio.

But then comes the redemption score!

Haaland was sent off about ten minutes from time.

You can follow the match here from 18.00:

Disease

It’s unclear who will stop playing next to Østigård. This morning no doubt – for a special reason:

– Andreas Hanche-Olsen has a bad cold. He’s in the hotel room. We will see if he is ready for Tuesday against Cyprus, but he is very bad, said coach Ståle Solbakken.

As such, Strandberg is the number two stopper.

Hot handle

Already before the match, there were reports of lapses in the preparation of the Norwegian squad, as extreme temperatures of 30 degrees had been reported at the start of the match.

– We skipped the traditional walk, it was because of the intense heat. This will be an important factor tonight. Which team is best at handling temperatures down to 30 degrees, assistant national team coach Brede Hangeland told Television 2 today – and confirmed that players are prohibited from sunbathing before heading to the arena.

There will also be sun restrictions on heaters, he said.

– You can’t avoid that the players have to go over the wall mentally and physically tonight, he said.

When the Scotland national team arrived at the hot Ullevaal stadium they had few fans, photos from NTB show.