For a country of 5.6 million people, Norway's list of competitive achievements is remarkable. Winter Olympians gobble up medals at a freakish rate, the women's handball team is all-conquering, and Norway has produced the greatest chess player of all time. Yet nothing unites the country quite like football, and no match has stopped the country in its tracks like the 2-1 win against Brazil in the final group game of the 1998 World Cup.
The sound of commentator Arne Scheie announcing "Vi har scoret i Marseille!" ("We have scored in Marseille!") is etched into Norwegian brains. Scheie, a national treasure known for his level-headedness, lost his composure when Norway won a late penalty at 1-1. He referred to penalty taker Kjetil Rekdal as "Kjetil Reknett, of Werder Bremen" — Reknett is not a surname in any language. Grasping for words, Scheie declared the upcoming penalty "the most important kick of a ball in the history of the Norwegian football federation." Rekdal scored, and Norwegians collectively lost their minds.
History of Unfulfilled Potential
What is never spoken of is the game that followed: a meek 1-0 defeat by Italy in the last 16. Norway's first golden generation qualified for two World Cups, soared to second in the FIFA rankings, and beat England, Italy, Netherlands, and Brazil, but never won a knockout game at a major tournament. They exited both 1994 and 1998 with regret and unfulfilled potential.
The current players know this story well. Three have fathers who played at the 1994 World Cup. Manager Ståle Solbakken played just over an hour in that defeat by Italy. "Historically in tournaments, Norway have played well in qualifying and then performed worse at the World Cup," Solbakken mused in a Netflix documentary before this tournament. "Now we have to see if we can raise our game."
Breaking the 28-Year Drought
After beating Senegal, a fired-up Solbakken repeatedly punched the camera of Norway's in-house media man and shouted: "Shut up boys! This is the greatest Norwegian football win of all time, and you can quote me on that." After beating Côte d'Ivoire, he more calmly told his team: "You are changing not only Norwegian football history, but Norwegian history in general. This is so big. This will never happen again, because we are going to qualify time and time again. Which means these 28 years of hurt, everything that is felt around the country, what I feel right here, what you feel, it will never come back."
Norway beating Côte d'Ivoire in the last 32 was the first time ever that a Norwegian team truly lived up to its billing at a World Cup. Having genuine superstars helps. Erling Haaland is a global phenomenon who has already won everything at club level; Martin Ødegaard is a Premier League-winning captain. Both set standards in their own way. But the win over Côte d'Ivoire belonged to the squad as much as the stars. Patrick Berg turned in an all-action, man-of-the-match performance in midfield. Goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland produced a save-of-the-tournament contender at the death. Antonio Nusa scored a goal reminiscent of his idol Neymar.
A Reunion with Brazil
"I think this will change Norway for ever," said Haaland after the final whistle. "If I survive this I will survive anything," said Solbakken, a statement that hits differently as he had a pacemaker fitted after a near-fatal cardiac arrest at the end of his playing days. It was Haaland and Ødegaard's idea for the team to join fans in the iconic Viking Row after wins.
Whether the win against Côte d'Ivoire, Norway's first ever knockout win in a major tournament, eclipses the win against Brazil in 1998 will be a matter of conjecture. But as always, football's celestial script writers are to be applauded. Norway's opponent in the next round is Brazil. It could be no other way.
