Haaland bags a brace as Norway thrash Italy, sending them to the play-offs | OneFootball

Italy was thrashed by Norway this Sunday, losing 4-1, with two goals from Haaland, and failed to secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The result at San Siro sends the Azzurri to the playoffs and guarantees the Norwegians' participation in the next World Cup.

Standings

The Italian national team needed to beat Norway by a nine-goal margin to qualify for the World Cup. With the defeat, Gattuso's team finished the European Qualifiers in second place in Group I, with 18 points. It's worth noting that the country has missed the last two editions of the World Cup, in 2018 and 2022.

Norway, on the other hand, finished as group leader, with 24 points. Haaland and company have thus punched their ticket to the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Scandinavian team will return to the tournament after 28 years.

(Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

📋 Match Summary

🔵 ITALY 1 x 4 NORWAY ⚪

🏆 Competition: European Qualifiers (6th round) 🏟️ Venue: San Siro, Milan (ITA) 📅 Date: November 16, 2025 (Sunday) ⏰ Time: 4:45 PM (Brasília time)

Goals:

How was the match?

Chasing an almost impossible result, Italy dominated the start of the match and opened the scoring in the tenth minute with Esposito. The home team even created other chances, but that was as far as they got. Norway responded in the second half and equalized in the 17th minute through Nusa.

Desperate, the Italians threw themselves into attack and were punished by Haaland. The Manchester City striker found the net twice, in the 32nd and 33rd minutes, leading Norway's comeback. In stoppage time, at 47 minutes, Larsen made a brilliant solo play and scored the fourth, sealing the final score.

Upcoming Matches

The European playoffs for the World Cup will be played between March 26 and 31, 2026. Italy's opponents have not yet been determined.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.