On 9 September 1981, Norwegian radio commentator Bjørge Lillelien delivered an unforgettable rant after Norway defeated England 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier. His triumphant, giddy outburst has become a cornerstone of Norwegian folklore and achieved cult status abroad, with the Observer declaring it the greatest bit of commentary ever in 2002.
The famous rant
“We have beaten England! England, the birthplace of giants!” Lillelien enthused, before listing Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, and Lady Diana. Cooper, a boxing aficionado, was included due to Lillelien’s own love of the sport. He then switched to English: “Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? I have a message for you, in the middle of your election campaign. I have a message for you … As they say in the boxing bars around Madison Square Garden in New York: your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!”
Norwegian obsession with English football
Since November 1969, the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK had been showing live matches from the English first division during the winter, when Norwegian football was on hiatus. With only one television channel at the time, every viewer on Saturday afternoons watched English football, which enthralled the nation. “We would learn on Wednesday what game was going to be shown on NRK at the weekend, and there was a lot of excitement around that,” says Øyvind Alsaker, commentator for TV2. “Would your team be shown?”
Alsaker, born in 1969, was part of the first generation raised on these televised games. “You would run outside and pretend to be Keegan and Toshack and all of these heroes,” he says. Even obscure matches, like Mansfield vs Southampton in the second division in 1978, drew attention. This led to emotional attachments to unlikely clubs; Gabriel Høyland, Erling Haaland’s great uncle, is a committed Burnley supporter, and Kasper Wikestad, an NRK commentator, is a Norwich fan.
England as the promised land
Kasper Wikestad, who commentated on Norway’s win against Brazil in the 2026 World Cup, says: “It was the sound, the smell, the stars; it was the atmosphere, it was the chants from the stands. It was our promised land. It felt so close, but at the same time so far away.” In 1981, England were going through a tough spell, but Norway were even worse, having not been to a tournament since the 1938 Olympics. “England were our idols and our reference point,” Wikestad explains. “The idea that we could beat England at football in a qualifying match, it was a totally unrealistic dream.”
The match and Lillelien's commentary
As Norway held a 2-1 lead, Lillelien became increasingly animated. When Phil Neal fouled Tom Lund from behind, Lillelien called Neal “a pig”: “The thug Phil Neal kicks Tommy from behind! Phil ‘pig’ Neal! Start retaliating! The English have thugs both in the stands and on the pitch!” As added time dragged on, he accused the Polish referee Jerzy Kacprzak of being “on track for an English citizenship.” When the final whistle blew, Lillelien erupted: “Norway have beaten England 2-1 at football! We are the best in the world!”
Enduring legacy
Today, Norwegians remain obsessed with English football. “We now have three generations of Norwegians who have received English football intravenously,” Alsaker says. On Saturday, he will commentate on the World Cup quarter-final between Norway and England. “It feels unreal. When I look at what I’ve experienced with the Norwegian national team over the last 25 years, it feels unreal that this is happening. I was thinking that reaching the round of 16 was just fantastic. And now we are playing for being one of the top four teams at a World Cup. It’s wild.” For Norwegians, no opponent means more than England.
