Captain Erling Haaland's composed half-time talk sparked Norway's dramatic 4-1 victory over Estonia on Thursday, propelling the squad to the brink of their first World Cup qualification since 1998. Leading the team in the absence of injured Martin Odegaard, Haaland rallied his teammates after a goalless first half in Oslo, where frustrated home fans booed as players headed down the tunnel.
Norway hit four goals in 12 minutes after the break, with Alexander Sorloth scoring twice in quick succession just five minutes into the second half before Haaland added a brace of his own. Robi Saarma netted a consolation for Estonia in the 64th minute.
Midfielder Morten Thorsby revealed Haaland's message was calm and confident: 'Erling was just nice and calm, he gave us the confidence that "We'll fix this, boys. We are going to get that goal, we just have to keep going." That's the kind of confidence we need in these games.'
Defender Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem said Haaland also delivered a tactical instruction: 'He said we had to feed him more crosses ... just hit even more into the box. Especially when they are sitting so deep and we have to play a lot around them. It worked, you could see that after five minutes.'
Thorsby added that both Haaland and Odegaard had 'taken very big steps as leaders' and were embracing more responsibility. 'They have also gained a better understanding of the influence they have on the rest of us. What they say, what they do, and how they act -- it spreads.'
Norway have now all but secured their place at next year's tournament in North America, holding a three-point lead over second-placed Italy in Group I. They host the Italians in Oslo on Sunday, with Italy needing to beat Norway and overturn an improbable 17-goal deficit to snatch the automatic qualifying spot.
