- Martin Odegaard provided three assists in Norway’s 4:2 win against Israel
- The victory lifts the Norwegians to first place in UEFA Group I for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Erling Haaland scored his 40th international goal as Israel dropped to third in the standings
Key Takeaways:
Norway defeated Israel 4:2 in a Group I encounter of the UEFA zone World Cup 2026 qualifiers. One of the key highlights of the match was Martin Odegaard’s performance, with the Arsenal midfielder assisting three of his country’s four goals.
Thanks to this result, the Scandinavians took sole leadership in the standings, while Israel dropped to third after Estonia pulled off a dramatic 3:2 away win against Moldova earlier in the day. Italy remains the only team in the group yet to register points after two rounds, having missed fixtures due to their commitments in the Nations League quarter-finals.
✨🇳🇴 Three assists for Martin Ødegaard with Norway against Israel tonight. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/8pwssqhATM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 25, 2025
The first half of the match, played in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, saw just one goal, scored by David Moller Wolfe in the 39th minute. After the break, Israel came out determined to fight back, and Mohammed Abu Fani managed to equalise in the 55th minute. The Vikings reacted immediately, with Erling Haaland hitting the post and Alexander Sorloth firing over the bar. However, in the 59th minute, Sorloth found the net to restore Norway’s lead. In the 65th minute, Kristoffer Ajer extended the advantage to 3:1, and in the 83rd, Haaland scored Norway’s fourth to settle the outcome. It was the Manchester City striker’s 40th goal in his 41st appearance for the national team.
Israel found a way to slightly reduce the deficit in stoppage time, when Dor Turgeman netted second goal in the 93rd minute.