Norway defeats Italy 3-0, and Croatia sweeps Gibraltar
The Norwegian national football team dealt a painful blow to Italy, defeating them 3-0 on Friday, marking an embarrassing start for the Azzurri in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Norway now has nine points from three matches, topping Group 9, while Italy remains without a point after losing their first match in the group.
During a downpour, the Norwegian fans roared with joy 14 minutes into the match at the Ullevaal Stadium when Alexander Sörloth took advantage of a pass from Antonio Nossa and slotted the ball home from close range.
Nossa further ignited the crowd's excitement in the 34th minute, skillfully receiving the ball and sprinting past two Italian defenders before firing home from the edge of the penalty area. Italy's struggles continued in the first half when Martin Odegaard sent an unmarked Erling Haaland past Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to score Norway's third goal.
The continued heavy rain slowed the pace of the game in the second half, and Norway came close again when substitute Patrik Berg fired a rocket that hit the post just after the hour mark.
In another match, the Czech Republic defeated Montenegro 2-0 in the third round of Group L, moving the Czechs to nine points at the top of the group, two points ahead of Montenegro.
Adam Hlušek put the Czechs ahead in the 23rd minute, and Patrik Čech added the second goal in the 65th minute.
Croatia, meanwhile, thrashed Gibraltar 7-0. Mario Pasalic put Croatia ahead in the 28th minute, and Ante Budimir added the second goal two minutes later. In the 60th minute, Ivanovic scored the third goal, and three minutes later he scored the fourth goal, while Ivan Perisic scored the fifth goal in the 73rd minute, and Andrej Kramaric scored the sixth and seventh goals in the 77th and 79th minutes.