Odegaard attends vital Norway win but injury limits his celebrations | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard attended Norway’s win over Israel on Saturday, but he was unable to properly join in with the post-match celebrations due to his injury.

Photo via Odegaard on Instagram

As reported before the game, Martin Odegaard was in the stands as Norway faced Israel in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

Despite injury ruling him out of the October internationals, Odegaard has opted to join up with his national team anyway, and he would have been delighted with what he saw on the pitch this weekend.

Though he missed a first-half penalty (even after getting to retake it), Erling Haaland ended up scoring a hat-trick and Israel scored two own goals as Norway romped to a 5-0 victory.

Photo via Odegaard on Instagram

Norway still haven’t qualified for the World Cup just yet, but their huge goal difference gives them a major edge, with a total of +26 to Italy’s +7. They sit six points ahead of Italy, albeit having played a game more.

If Norway can beat Estonia at home on November 13th, even a defeat to Italy on the final day (combined with two wins for Italy in their other two matches) would probably be okay.

At the very least, Norway are now guaranteed a play-off spot, with third-place Israel incapable of catching up. So there was cause for celebration after Saturday’s match.

Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Odegaard joined the team in the dressing room for the celebrations, but he could be seen sitting down whilst all his teammates jumped around. Evidently he didn’t want to take any risks with his knee following his recent injury.