Norway 3-1 Sweden: Strand Larsen doubles up as hosts cruise past rivals in Oslo
Norway made light work of Erling Haaland’s absence as a dominant first-half display earned them a comfortable 3-1 victory over Nordic rivals Sweden at the Ullevaal Stadion.
With both nations finalizing their preparations for the upcoming World Cup in North America, Norway manager Stale Solbakken opted to hand extra rest to talismanic striker Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. Their omission raised pre-match questions about where the hosts’ clinical edge would come from, but Crystal Palace forward Jørgen Strand Larsen provided an emphatic answer, netting twice before the interval to stake his claim for a starting berth this summer.
The tone was set just nine minutes in. Right-back Julian Ryerson, who came into the international break on the back of a spectacular season with Borussia Dortmund, picked up the ball on the right flank and whipped an inviting delivery into the box. Larsen anticipated it perfectly, getting across his marker to guide a brilliant, glancing header into the far corner past a helpless Jacob Widell Zetterström.
Sweden, playing under the guidance of Graham Potter, looked completely disjointed and struggled to contend with the intense Norwegian press. Matters grew worse for the visitors in the 17th minute when Sander Berge drove through midfield and picked out Antonio Nusa. The RB Leipzig winger cut inside from the left side of the penalty area with trademark sharpness, unleashing a powerful low strike that fizzed past Zetterström to double the hosts’ advantage.
Norway looked like a side completely assured of their identity, dominating possession and restricting Sweden’s creative outlets, including a quiet first-half cameo from Real Madrid’s young prospect Lucas Bergvall. It was no surprise when the third arrived eight minutes before the break, stemming once more from the telepathic relationship between Ryerson and Larsen. Ryerson delivered a pinpoint corner into the heart of the six-yard box, and Larsen reacted fastest, leaping ahead of the hesitant Swedish goalkeeper to nod home his second of the evening.
The match comfortably could have seen a heavier scoreline as Norway racked up an expected goals (xG) rating of 2.42 from 22 shots. Shortly after the hour mark, Ryerson thought he had claimed a remarkable hat-trick of assists when he picked out David Møller Wolfe at the back post, but the wing-back’s clinical finish was quickly chalked off for offside.
With the game effectively won, Solbakken rang the changes, making a sweeping nine-player substitution in the 63rd minute that entirely disrupted the match’s rhythm. Potter also experimented heavily from the bench, introducing Liverpool’s Alexander Isak to spark some life into a flat Swedish frontline.
The change paid dividends in the 75th minute when Isak capitalised on a rare moments of hesitation in the heavily rotated Norwegian defence. Latching onto a pass from Mattias Svanberg, the striker cut back and unleashed a magnificent, dipping effort from range that left Ørjan Nyland clutching at air. Sweden briefly thought they had set up a grandstand finish when Sebastian Nanasi turned a well-taken header into the net, but the linesman’s flag stood firm for offside.
Ultimately, it was a night where the strength of Norway’s depth took centre stage. While Sweden head home to Stockholm to face Greece on Thursday with plenty of defensive issues for Potter to untangle, Norway fly out to New Jersey to face Morocco full of optimism, knowing they possess plenty of tournament firepower even when their global superstars are resting on the bench.
