Haaland reveals Italian defender’s taunt: “He kept touching my bum” | OneFootball

Norway is back in a World Cup for the first time since 1998, after 28 years of waiting. One of the main people responsible for Norway’s spot is striker Erling Haaland, who experienced a curious episode during the victory against Italy that sealed their qualification. According to the Manchester City player, defender Mancini kept “touching” his butt.

“Mancini was always on top of me, frequently touching my butt. At one point, I got annoyed and shouted at him: ‘What are you doing?’. But then I thanked him, because he motivated me, allowing me to score two goals and win the match 4-1. It was great (laughs),” said Haaland.

Heroic qualification and Italian drama

Norway hasn’t played in a World Cup since the 1998 edition in France, when the Norwegians even beat Brazil. Now, the Nordic country has secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a perfect campaign: 100% success rate, with eight wins in eight games. The big highlight, of course, was Haaland, the top scorer in the Qualifiers with 16 goals in eight matches.

Italy, on the other hand, is living through a drama. The “Azzurra,” four-time world champions, failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, in 2018 and 2022. Now, the drama repeats itself for 2026, with the team once again ending up in the European playoffs.

Photo: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

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