In the match at Todor Proeski Arena (North Macedonia), although Belgium was considered the stronger team, it took 20 minutes for them to have their first dangerous opportunity.
After two missed situations by Nicolas Raskin and Alexis Saelemaekers, the away team attacked strongly, opening the score in the 28th minute thanks to Maxim De Cuyper.
Receiving a pass from his teammate, Lukaku handled the ball neatly in the penalty area and then fired a shot, unfortunately his shot hit an opposing defender and changed direction. De Cuyper was there at the right time to shoot the rebound to open the score of the match. That was also the only goal of the first half, the remaining time did not have any significant opportunities.
Lukaku missed an unbelievable chance, causing Belgium to only have a draw against North Macedonia (Photo: Reuters).
The second half started with an equalizer from the North Macedonia players, however the home team's joy did not last long when the VAR referee intervened and caught an offside error.
Similar to the beginning of the first half, the Belgian players wasted their chances in an unbelievable way. In the 70th minute, Raskin hit the post before De Winter had his rebound shot blocked by goalkeeper Dimitrievski.
Missing too many opportunities, Belgium had to pay the price with a goal in the 86th minute. Alioski received a pass from his teammate into the penalty area from the left wing, immediately the former Leeds United player made a beautiful volley, scoring the goal to equalize 1-1 and keep 1 point for North Macedonia.
Meanwhile, in the match taking place at the same time at Ullevaal Stadion (Norway). The surprise happened when Euro 2021 champion, Italy unexpectedly lost 0-3 to Norway in Group I. Before the match, the team in blue was ranked 10th in the FIFA rankings and was rated much higher than Norway's 38th position.
However, with home advantage, Norway quickly opened the scoring after a long pass from the away team's centre-back Alessandro Bastoni. Antonio Nusa skillfully dribbled the ball in the middle, then passed the ball to Alexander Sorloth to escape down the left wing and then fired a low shot in a one-on-one situation, defeating goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 14th minute.
After opening the scoring, the Norwegians eased into the game and quickly doubled their lead with a superb solo effort from Nusa in the 34th minute. The RB Leipzig midfielder received the ball on the left wing, dribbled past two visitors before finishing decisively from the edge of the box, making it 2-0. The young striker's goal left Haaland holding his head in amazement.
Conceding two goals, Italy seemed to lose their spirit and actively played down the game waiting for the second half. However, before the first half ended, the away team continued to concede a third goal.
Odegaard played a delicate pass to Haaland, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Man City striker dribbled past Donnarumma and fired a right-footed shot into an empty net, sending thousands of Norwegian fans, drenched by the rain, into a roar of cheers.
Haaland contributed 1 goal to Norway's 3-0 victory over Italy (Photo: Getty).
In the second half, Norway was still the team in control with a series of opportunities and did not have to face any dangerous situations. Italy was completely helpless in this match and accepted defeat with a score of 0-3.
This is Italy's first match in Group I, as they are busy playing the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals in March 2025, while this is Norway's third match, both of which they won. If they do not improve their form in the qualifying round, Italy could miss the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bi-hoa-that-vong-italy-thua-cay-dang-o-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-20250607081111557.htm
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