After four consecutive goalless matches in the Premier League, striker Erling Haaland returned to scoring form with a brace that helped Norway win 4-0 away against Cyprus in the sixth matchday of Group A of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
* Goals: Alexander Sorloth 33', Haaland 65' & 72', Fredrik Aursnes 81'
At the AEK ARENA on the evening of October 12th, Haaland started the match before being substituted for Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 77th minute. During his time on the pitch, the Manchester City superstar touched the ball 17 times, had an 80% passing accuracy with one key pass, won three aerial duels, had five shots with three on target, and scored two goals.
In the 65th minute, midfielder Fredrik Aursnes took a corner kick towards Haaland at the far post. The 23-year-old striker controlled the ball with one touch before volleying it into the top corner of the net past goalkeeper Joel Mall. He completed his brace in the 72nd minute with a close-range header from a cross by substitute Antonio Nusa.
Haaland (right) celebrates with his teammates after extending Norway's lead to 3-0 in their 4-0 victory over hosts Cyprus in Group A of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Photo: X / @nff_landslag
These were Haaland's fifth and sixth goals respectively in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, level with Rasmus Hojlund of Denmark and Scott McTominay of Scotland. Romelu Lukaku of Belgium currently leads this statistic with eight goals.
The brace against Cyprus also helped Haaland end a four-match goalless streak in the Premier League. The Norwegian striker has eight goals in the first eight rounds, but his last goal was in the 14th minute of the win against Nottingham Forest on September 23rd, making it 2-0. Haaland has yet to score in his first two Champions League matches.
This form contrasts sharply with Haaland's 52 goals in 53 games across all competitions last season, which helped Man City win a historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
Yesterday, Norway dominated with 73% possession, 22 shots with nine on target, while hosts Cyprus only had two shots off target.
In the 33rd minute, Sorloth's one-touch shot from outside the penalty area deflected off a Cypriot player and into the net, opening the scoring. After Haaland's two goals, Norway sealed the 4-0 victory in the 81st minute with a close-range shot from Aursnes.
However, the three points from this match did not help Norway improve their position. Haaland and his teammates remain third in Group A with 10 points, two points behind Spain and five points behind Scotland. Norway will move up to second place if they beat Spain in their next match at home at the Ullevaal Stadion on October 15th.
Starting lineup :
Cyprus : Mall, Gogic, Kyprianou, Karo, Correia, Andreou, Kousoulos (Gavriel 78), Charalampous (Pileas 60), Kyriakou (Spoljaric 54), Kakoulis (Elia 54), Kastanos (Correa 78).
Norway : Nyland, Ostigard, Ajer, Meling, Ryerson, Berge, Aursnes (Finne 88), Odegaard (Thorstvedt 77), Haaland (Larsen 77), Solbakken (Bobb 63), Sorloth (Nusa 63).
Hong Duy
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