Norway Defeats Sweden 3-1 in World Cup Preparation Friendly
Quick Look
- Norway, even without stars Haaland and Odegaard, dominated Sweden 3-1 in a World Cup prep friendly.
- Strand-Larsen scored twice and Nusa added another for Norway, who face Morocco next before their World Cup opener against Iraq.
- Sweden's Isak scored late, but a potential equalizer was disallowed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Norway played a friendly match against Sweden as part of their preparation for the World Cup. Even without key players Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, Norway demonstrated strong offensive capabilities.
Even without Erling Haaland, resting and in the stands, Norway outclassed Sweden (3-1) in a World Cup preparation friendly.
Without their star striker and Martin Odegaard, Stale Solbakken's players demonstrated great offensive power, with a particularly incisive attacking quartet.
Jorgen Strand-Larsen stood out with two headers (9', 37'), and Antonio Nusa also scored with a fine strike (19'). Norway, who have not participated in the World Cup since 1998, will play one last friendly on Sunday against Morocco in New Jersey. They will begin their World Cup adventure on June 17 against Iraq, before facing Senegal on June 23 and then France on June 26 in Boston.
Sweden saved some honor thanks to Alexander Isak, who came on shortly before (77'). The Swedes also came close to getting back into the game, but Sebastian Nanasi's goal from Strasbourg was disallowed for offside. After a disastrous qualification campaign and last place in their group, Sweden qualified by narrowly beating Poland 3-2 in the European playoff final. They are in Group F along with the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.
Open Questions
- What is the extent of Haaland's and Odegaard's injuries or reasons for rest?
- How will Norway perform in their upcoming matches against Morocco, Iraq, Senegal, and France?
- What are Sweden's prospects in their World Cup group (F)?
