Ex-BVB striker Haaland: Nerves fail with the penalty, but then… | OneFootball

His qualities are well-known worldwide. However, stopping a force of nature like Erling Haaland is only possible in the rarest of cases. On Saturday evening, Israel's defense had an unpleasant experience with the 25-year-old former Dortmund player.

The World Cup qualifier match began with a scare for nearly 20,000 spectators at Oslo's Ullevaal Stadium. The Polish referee Szymon Marciniak (44) pointed to the penalty spot after five minutes. Haaland took the ball but was thwarted by keeper Daniel Peretz (25). However, the goalkeeper, who stands between the posts for Hamburger SV, had moved too early. The former BVB striker took the retake but was once again defeated by Israel's number one in the direct duel.

Those who know the striker understand that he is not discouraged by such setbacks – quite the opposite. Over the course of the evening, Haaland scored a hat-trick (27th minute/63rd/72nd). Norway left the field as a clear 5-0 victor and solidified their position at the top of World Cup Qualification Group I. The Scandinavians boast a perfect record with six wins from six matches and are six points ahead of Italy, which has played one less match. On November 16, both countries will face each other to conclude the group stage.

Erling's father has something over his son

Haaland now boasts an incredible record of 51 goals in 46 international matches. Thanks to his abilities, Norway is on the verge of its first participation in a major tournament since the 2000 European Championship. Back then, the "Lions" were eliminated in the group stage with four points. Two years earlier, they reached the round of 16 at the World Cup in France. Erling's father, Alf-Inge Haaland (now 52), participated in the 1994 World Cup for his country.

The current Manchester City professional scored in his ninth consecutive international match with his goals against Israel. His tally is an incredible 17 (!) goals. Other top strikers reached the 50-goal mark in the national jersey significantly later. England's Harry Kane (32) needed 71 appearances, Neymar (33) for Brazil 71, and Argentina's Lionel Messi (38) even 107 appearances. Cristiano Ronaldo (40), who stands at 224 matches and 141 goals for Portugal, according to data provider Opta, scored his 50th international goal only in his 114th match.

However, an exception is the "Bomber of the Nation." Gerd Müller (†75) achieved his 50th goal for the German national team already in his 41st match.

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