Erling Haaland's impressive form continued as he fired Norway to a dominant 5-0 victory over Israel in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday. The Manchester City striker bagged a hat-trick, bringing his tally to 51 goals in just 46 appearances for his country. This win pushes Norway closer to potentially qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998.
Haaland's performance was the clear highlight of the match held in Oslo. Despite missing a penalty, which was ordered to be retaken due to the goalkeeper moving off his line, and then seeing his second attempt saved as well, Haaland didn't let it deter him. He opened his account with an angled shot in the 27th minute, followed by a powerful header in the 63rd and a final header in the 72nd. Norway's other goals came from own goals by Israel's Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias.
With this victory, Norway remains at the top of Group I with a perfect record of six wins. They sit comfortably ahead of Italy, who are in second place. Haaland is also currently the leading scorer in European qualifying with 12 goals.
Meanwhile, Italy kept their qualification hopes alive with a crucial 3-1 away win against Estonia. Italy, under the guidance of Gennaro Gattuso, needed the win to keep pace with Norway. The goals came from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and Francesco Pio Esposito. Kean opened the scoring early, followed by Retegui who made amends for a missed penalty earlier in the match. Esposito added a third, while Rauno Sappinen scored a late consolation goal for Estonia after a mistake by Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Italy currently sits in third place in Group I, but with a game in hand. They have a chance to close the gap when they face Israel. Only the top team from each group automatically qualifies for the 2026 World Cup, with the runners-up entering a play-off. Italy has struggled to qualify for recent World Cups, missing out on the last two tournaments.
Norway currently leads Group I with 18 points, while Italy has 12 points. Italy needs Norway to drop points in their remaining matches to have a chance at automatic qualification. If both teams continue winning, Italy would need to win against Norway in November and overturn a significant goal difference.
The win was crucial for Italy, who are trying to avoid missing out on another World Cup. The pressure is on as they continue their campaign, with the match against Israel potentially being decisive.
Prior to the Norway-Israel match, pro-Palestinian protestors demonstrated against Israel's actions in Gaza.
