Italy sunk in a soaked Oslo

In their opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Italy suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the group’s top contender, significantly damaging their chances of finishing first in the group.

Italy started brightly in the early stages. In the 3rd minute, Mateo Retegui managed to carve out space inside the box and connected well with a corner. His header looked destined for the top left corner, but the Norwegian goalkeeper produced a superb diving save to deny him.

However, it was Norway who struck first. In the 14th minute, Antonio Nusa delivered a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Alexander Sorloth, who calmly slotted it past Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the center of the net to make it 1–0. You can see the goal HERE!

Italy responded with attacking intent, and in the 26th minute, Giacomo Raspadori found himself unmarked in the box. He tried to guide the ball into the roof of the net but narrowly missed, sending his shot just over the bar.

Norway nearly doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Sorloth dribbled through the Italian defense with ease and fired a shot toward the right post, only to be denied by Donnarumma. The resulting corner, however, led to another Norwegian breakthrough.

In the 34th minute, Antonio Nusa showcased his individual brilliance with a dynamic solo run before unleashing a powerful shot into the top left corner, leaving Donnarumma with no chance. Norway extended their lead to 2–0. The goal is HERE!

Just before halftime, in the 42nd minute, Erling Haaland added a third. After a dazzling run past several Italian defenders, he found himself one-on-one with the keeper. A clever dummy left Donnarumma off balance, and Haaland coolly finished to make it 3–0 for the hosts. You can see the goal HERE!

The second half in Oslo brought little change to the scoreboard, as Norway comfortably saw out a dominant first-half performance to secure a 3–0 victory over Italy in their opening World Cup qualifier.

With the hosts holding a convincing lead at the break, the intensity understandably dropped in the second 45 minutes. Italy tried to find a way back into the game, but lacked the cutting edge to break through a well-organized Norwegian defense.

In the 52nd minute, Davide Frattesi had one of Italy’s better chances. After receiving a tidy pass inside the box, he found himself with time and space, but his low effort aimed at the center of the goal was easily handled by Orjan Nyland.

Norway, while no longer pressing with the same urgency, nearly extended their lead in the 66th minute. Sander Berge struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box that beat Donnarumma but rattled the left post—an unlucky moment for the midfielder.

Aside from those moments, the second half offered few real highlights, with both sides seemingly accepting the result that had already been shaped in the opening period. Norway managed the game with composure, while Italy struggled to mount a serious response.