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Not so long ago Norway were rated as one of the top teams in Europe,
defeating some of the best teams in the world.
The Norwegians were qualifiers for World Cups
and European Championships in the 1990s and
they were even ranked as high as second in the
FIFA ratings. Among their notable triumphs were
victories over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup finals
and Spain at Euro 2000.
Now, however, Norway sit in fifth place in Qualifying
Group C for World Cup 2018 and a defeat to
Northern Ireland this evening would likely spell the
end of any chance of reaching the finals in Russia
next year.
After a poor start in the qualifiers for Euro 2016
coach Per-Mathias Hogmo’s charges revived hopes
of automatic qualification with wins over Bulgaria
(a), Croatia (h) and Malta (h) but a 2-1 defeat to Italy
in Rome meant that they had to face Hungary in the
play-offs. And against the Magyars they went down
1-0 at home and lost 2-1 away.
The Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, once a stronghold
where visiting teams rarely escaped with a point,
has lost its air of invincibility in recent years. For
many Norwegian fans the depths were plumbed
last September in a WC 2018 qualifier when world
champions Germany outclassed their hosts on
their way to a 3-0 victory.
Defeat to Germany was followed by a 1-0 loss away
to Azerbaijan the following month, although there
was some joy last October thanks to a 4-1 home
win against San Marino. Mind you, a 2-1 defeat
away to the Czech Republic in November has left
Norway second from bottom in Group C with three
points out of a possible 12.
That result was followed by the dismissal of coach
Per-Mathias Hogmo, who had been at the helm
since 2013. On 1 February this year Swedish coach
Lars Lagerback, who masterminded Iceland’s
success in Euro 2016, was appointed.
However, the new man in charge was dealt a blow
five weeks ago when Norway team captain Per
Ciljan Skjelbred announced his retirement from the
national side. The 29-year-old midfielder, who plays
for Hertha Berlin, stated that he no longer had the
motivation necessary to play for the national team.
Another player who will miss the match is 30-year-
old defender Alexander Tettey of Norwich City, who
also announced his retirement from international
football - due to recurring ankle injuries.
Meanwhile, Haitam Aleesami is suspended for this
evening’s game and will be a loss. The 25-year-old
left-sided defender, who can also operate on the
left wing, joined Serie A side Palermo last August
and has become a vital part of the team. He has
played in all four WC 2018 qualifiers to date but
picked up his second yellow card in his country’s
last match against the Czechs.
The last time Norway qualified for a major
tournament was Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and
Belgium. They defeated Spain, drew with Slovenia
and lost to Yugoslavia – and went home early.
Despite having top players such as John Carew,
John Arne Riise, Brede Hangeland and Morten
Gamst Pedersen they have failed to qualify for the
big stage since. The closest they came was in the
qualifiers for Euro 2008, but they were pipped by
Turkey to the runner-up spot in their group.
What a contrast to October 1993 when Egil Olsen’s
side were rated second in the world behind Brazil.
They had a rock-solid defence built around Rune
Bratseth, Ronny Johnsen and Henning Berg, a
midfield filled with combative and highly skilled ball
players - Erik Mykland, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Stale
Solbakken and Kjetil Rekdal - and a highly gifted
attack featuring Jan Aage Fjortoft, Lars Bohinen
and Tore Andre Flo.
Words:
Roy Kitson
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