Norway — Cyprus (20-06-2023)

I take the tram from the Central Station to Ullevål Stadion and along the way more fans join. When we arrive at the stadium, roughly 45 minutes before the 8.45 PM kick-off, there is a very good crowd.

Fortunately, everyone has their tickets printed out, so when I make it to the ticket office, there is virtually no one there. I ask for “a ticket” and get one for NOK 400 (ca. $37,50), not bad for an official game of the national team (particularly in such an expensive country as Norway). The ticket itself is bare minimum.

Ullevaal Stadion looks like a mall from the outside and has some shops built into the outside. It opened in 1926 and has long been the home ground of the two major teams from Oslo, FK Lyn, which left in 2009, and Vålerenga IF, which left in 2017. Now it is owned by the Norwegian Football Association and the stadium of the national stadium. With a capacity of about 28,000, it is the biggest stadium in the country.

Today’s game is an official qualifier for the UEFA EURO 2024, to be played in Germany, between Norway and Cyprus. Despite the fact that Norway has just one point after three games, it is very busy. Official attendance is 23,643. The audience is typical for national team games in Europe: cross class, but disproportionate upper middle class, very white, quite a lot of girls, women and families, and mostly people who never go to the stadium for a club game (perhaps sometimes an EPL game on vacation). The audience is also quite young.

Norway will dominate the whole game and Cyprus makes it clear why they haven’t won a game yet. In the 5th minute, a Norway corner is headed from close range but bounces over the goal. Four minutes later a Norway player gets the ball free in the middle of the box but his half volley is saved by the goalie. And another minute later a mess up in the Cyprus defense gives Norway another big chance that is saved in two attempts by the (good) goalie. But two minutes later, a cross goes just over the incredibly high jumping Haaland, but behind him is a player who drop shots it hard in the far corner: 1-0.

It gets quite pedestrian after the goal. Norway has about 80% possession but plays predictable, slow, and without any individual actions… yet, as I write this on my phone, another clever pass to Haaland leads to an incredibly hard shot from the bounce but the goalie saves — it’s offside anyway. I honestly think I have no one ever seen shoot as hard as Haaland. Half time score: 1-0.

In the 50th minute Norway gets its first chance of the second half: as Haaland goes down and claims a foul, another player misses a perfect opportunity, free in front of the goal, by heading the ball wide. Despite having one of the best midfielders (Ødegaard) and the undisputed best striker in the world (Haaland), Norway is a very mediocre team.

In the 55th minute a clumsy handball after a corner leads to a Norway penalty. Haaland scores calmly: 2-0. About five minutes later, we finally see a Haaland moment: perfect start at a perfect pass and a cool finish: 3-0. First real good attack that leads to goal. After a lukewarm performance, but with two goals as his already record-breaking tally, Haaland now seems motivated again, I guess to score a hattrick.

Cyprus is really, really poor. Worst than I had expected. They get their first somewhat of a chance in the 72nd minute, a shot that goes far wide. In the 87th minute, a calm, low Norway shot from just inside the box goes wide. And then, with practically the last kick of the game, in the third minute of extra time, Cyprus scores out of nowhere, after a clever through ball and a cool finish: 3-1. That is also the final score.

Overall, this was a classic official international game. A happy audience of people who rarely go to games, are not hostile to the opponent, and entertain themselves even when the football is poor. Ullevaal Stadion doesn’t look much from the outside, but is pretty nice inside, and was almost sold out. Nice convenient hop!