– The first half was a bit scary, because we let them take it easy. It seems a bit uncertain. It looks like the players don’t trust each other, said NRK handball expert Håvard Tvedten after Norway’s 31-28 win against Serbia.

For a long time it looked like it was going to be a tough night for Norwegian men’s handball at the World Handball Championship. Serbia led at most 19-14 early in the second half, before Norway really got back on its feet.

– It’s a great feeling and it’s certainly great fun for our audience, but I’d rather see that we pulled it off from the start, Magnus Gullerud told NRK.

The turnaround comes just two days after an almost identical match against the Netherlands. The Netherlands then led the most with six goals, but Norway eventually won 27-26.

– It feels like Tuesday, actually. We sat down at half-time feeling: “Damn, shouldn’t we have done better from the start?”. It’s a shame, but luckily we have that game to think about. We believed in him, and it paid off again. The first half sucks, but the second half is delicious, said Gullerud.

Teammate Petter Øverby described Norway’s second-half performance as “very, very good”.

– We won in the same way against the Netherlands, so we didn’t stress in the first half. We felt in the first half that we had a lot to do, and as long as we get the two or three saves behind we need then we’ll take it. And we got it, said Øverby.

National team coach: – Very good for morale

– Because every time you win a game and every time you turn things around, that mentality gets stronger. I think it’s very moralizing to win that way there, said national team coach Jonas Wille, adding:

– We should come out of the starting blocks a little better defensively going forward.

Sander Sagosen said they kept their cool, and in the second half they increased the intensity of their footwork.

– What was said during the break?

– We raised our voices a little and said: “But guys, we have to get a few hits on defense.” Therein lies the key, says Sagosen.

– We’re confident. We believe whatever is written on the blackboard, it can be reversed, said Sagosen.

Handball expert Tvedten has been impressed with Norway’s ability to turn things around.

– It’s amazing and important and satisfying that they can play it back and they can do it in such a convincing way. Just paint it and make sure the defense is in place, he says.

Sagosen rose in the second half

In the first half, Sagosen was rather anonymous and did not score a single goal.

But in the second half it was trønder who showed the way. With five goals in a 16-minute period, he helped go from 17–20 to 28–24 from 38 to 54 minutes.

– He has said that when the odds are against me, I step forward. And he did just that for Norway, said NRK handball commentator Patrick Sten Rowlands after the final goal.

In the final minutes, Norway took complete control of the victory and eventually won 31-28.

Norway now has six points in the main draw, the same as Germany. The Netherlands are trailing by four points, but Norway are ahead of the Netherlands in head-to-head matches.

In doing so, Norway’s win against already eliminated Qatar on Saturday could secure Norway’s place in the quarter-finals with one game remaining in the main draw, given Germany took a point against the Netherlands.

– That looks good. We are playing better and better. “The second half we played now is probably the best half we have ever played,” said Sagosen.

– Completely different levels

Kristian Sæverås really was decisive when Norway turned the game against the Netherlands on Tuesday, but it was Torbjørn Bergerud who got the early chance against Serbia.

However, few defended well for Norway from the start. Bergerud did not save any of the first six shots he received at him and was substituted before ten minutes had been played.

Sæverås also failed to make an immediate difference and after 14 minutes Serbia were leading 9–6.

– This is a completely different level that we are on now. We can be content with beating the Netherlands by one goal, but that’s not the level we are playing at now. It’s on a completely different (level), both physical and technical in handball that we now encounter in this main draw, said handball expert Tvedten.

A minute and a half later came the Norwegian goalkeeper’s first save, as the game clock struck 15.35.

The Norwegian defense was slaughtered at the break

Against the Netherlands, Norway conceded a total of 17 goals in the first half against Serbia.

– I really miss you. It must be painful to join the Norwegian armed forces. I miss someone coming out and saying here, but not anymore. It must be no fun to join the Norwegian armed forces. Right now it seems like the best thing in the world to run, because you can shoot. I need one to kill one. Sorry, but that’s how it is, said Viaplay expert Joachim Boldsen during the break.

Serbia also made the best start in the second half, leading 19-14. Norway star Sander Sagosen did not score a goal, but after two quick scores seven or eight minutes into the first half, Norway trailed only one goal: 19-20.

Sagosen excited the Norwegian crowd in the stands and after 42 minutes he equalized at 22-22, before left winger Alexander Blonz sent Norway ahead for the first time in the game a minute later.

After that, Norway never looked back and eventually won by three goals.