Without Haaland, Norway destroys Sweden in a four-goal match

Despite not having superstar Erling Haaland available, Norway comfortably beat archrival Sweden 3-1, confirming their strong position before the greatest football event on Earth.

With only a few days left before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, Norway produced an impressive warm-up by defeating neighboring rivals Sweden 3-1 at Ullevaal Stadium. Although it was just a friendly, this victory carried great mental significance for coach Stale Solbakken's squad.

Notably, Norway won without the services of their two biggest stars, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. Nevertheless, the Nordic team's attacking power remained remarkably strong.

In the 9th minute, Jorgen Strand Larsen opened the scoring with a precise header after an assist from Julian Ryerson. Just nine minutes later, Antonio Nusa ignited the stands with a decisive finish to make it 2-0.

Before the first half ended, Larsen completed his brace in the 37th minute, once again capitalizing on a pass from Ryerson to put Norway ahead 3-0.

In the second half, Norway maintained their dominant control. The home side even put the ball in the net once more, but David Moller Wolfe's goal was disallowed for offside. Meanwhile, Sweden could only find a consolation goal in the 76th minute through Alexander Isak.

Statistics showed Norway's complete superiority. The home team fired 22 shots, with 7 on target. In contrast, Sweden managed only 9 attempts throughout the 90 minutes.

This victory further reinforced the belief that Norway possesses a quality squad rather than simply relying on Erling Haaland. During the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Coach Stale Solbakken's team won all 8 matches, topped Group I, and left Italy six points behind.

In particular, a 4-1 win over Italy in the final qualifying round secured Norway's direct ticket to North America in convincing fashion. Although Haaland contributed 16 goals in the qualifying campaign, the performance against Sweden showed that the team has many other attacking options.

After 28 years of waiting to return to the World Cup stage, Norway is giving the feeling of a true dark horse. If they maintain their current form, the Nordic side could become one of the biggest surprise packages at the 2026 World Cup.