First, Haaland scored 1-0 in the 76th minute before Degaard made it 2-0 three minutes later.

– It was a classic Erling goal. And it was also time for Martin to start scoring goals. “It was a beautiful goal, so we hope it is the start of more goals,” said national team manager Ståle Solbakken during his post-match press conference.

degaard requirements

He thought it was a bit of a coincidence that Degaard scored. Therefore he makes a claim to his own captain:

– It’s probably been a few years since the last and he should start scoring more. Erling has a bit left for top form, but that should be gone. We kept him on the pitch because he didn’t have a disease. He only gets better than this and I think Dortmund think so too,” Solbakken told TV 2.

So, what seemed to be a frustrating and desperate night for a long time turned into progress for the masters of Norwegian football.

– I feel that we made a good match. At first we painted and pressed, but struggled with the count. We were quite happy with the first half, the only thing missing was the score, degaard told TV 2.

– In the second half we pressed a little bit less, but it was good to score. When we also get two of them, it becomes convenient, he added.

– Typical Erling

Slovakia, who like Norway ended up in third place in their World Cup qualifying group and had to watch the championship from the couch, are too small a number for a relatively top Norwegian team.

The match was the first appearance for Erling Braut Haaland to be plagued by injury with a flag to his chest since September last year, and in familiar fashion he signed up again to score a new goal. The 21-year-old has now scored 13 goals in 15 international games.

– It’s usually Erling, that is. There was a lot of chaos and talk around him, but he was focused on what he should be doing. He came out and delivered again. “That’s normal for Erling, so we’re lucky to have him,” said degaard.

Haaland himself was shielded from the media after Friday’s game.

– I feel sorry for the players

However, if something gives Solbakken a headache, it’s the count in front of goal. Norway should have scored four and five goals with a normal score against Slovakia.

It was the first time in three games Norway have found a clean mask under Solbakken.

He was worried for a long time a repeat of his previous home game, which ended 0-0 against Latvia.

– I feel a little sorry for the players. There was a bit of a Latvian vibe to it, because we created as many chances as in that game. We scored on the eighth or ninth occasion. I admire them for keeping the intensity up.

– We played against a team similar to us, like that from the start. In that sense, I’m happy that there is a difference between the teams, commented Solbakken further.

Big opportunities

The game’s first big chance came after just six minutes.

Marcus Holmgren Pedersen parked the Slovakian car before he found Haaland in the middle of the field. He flicked to Elyounoussi, who with a half-volley went straight over the bar and out. The effort deserved better fate.

Norway kept the pressure on Slovakia, and after 27 minutes Martin degaard almost scored when he fired home from 18 yards and got a dream shot. Unfortunately for Norway, goalkeeper Marek Rodak scored with a fine save.

Led by a fresh left flank with Elyounoussi and Bjørkan, Norway created some dangers in the first half, but were still 0-0 when both teams entered the break.

The second half started with new opportunities for the hosts, and this time it was Haaland’s turn to try. The striker got the ball in a good position from Alexander Sørloth, but his shot went straight into the net. Shortly after, Elyounoussi stepped up with a shot, but again saved Rodak at home to Slovenia.

Slovakia also had some dangers, and 25 minutes from the end they hit the post with a dangerous long shot.

Haaland Score: – Perfection

In an attempt to loosen the Slovakian knot, Solbakken opted to make a triple change. Fredrik Aursnes, Mats Møller Dæhli and Kristian Thorsvedt came on for Sørloth, Normann and Berge.

And it didn’t take long before the changes took effect. A quarter of an hour before the end, Thorstvedt was lucky and well when he got the ball in space and hit a fine stick to Haaland.

From an angled angle, the Dortmund star sent Norway ahead with a fine chip.

– Perfection! Finally, Haaland had a good chance, and bang, then sat down at the net, said TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen after scoring.

A few minutes later it crashed again. First, Haaland tried his hand at an art acrobatic finish, but the ball fell to Mats Møller Dæhli instead. He gave it again to Martin degaard, who sent the ball into the far corner with a fine finish, and so it was 2-0 for Norway.

– The stars are shining, TV 2 commentator yvind Alsaker states. 2-0 is also the final result.

This starts for Norway against Slovakia on Friday night:

Norway (4-3-3): rjan Nyland – Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Leo stigård, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Fredrik Bjørkan – Martin degaard (captain), Mathias Normann, Sander Berge – Alexander Srloth, Erling Braut Haaland, Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The next match, which is also a private international match, will be played on Tuesday night at 19. Then against Armenia at the Ullevaal Stadium.

The next tally match for Solbakken’s men won’t come until June 02. Then Norway started their national league group match against Serbia in Belgrade. Norway is in a group with Serbia, Sweden and Slovenia.