More to Norway football than the fantastic Erling Haaland

Two comments sum up Norway's first successful World Cup qualifying campaign of the century.

- Dhiman Sarkar

Only one of them is from footbail. “The game was a birthday gift for my 10-year-old son. He was happy to watch Italy, though he was more thrilled to see (Erling) Haaland,” 57-year-old Italian journalist Andrea Saronni was quoted as saying by Reuters after Norway beat Italy 4-1in Milan on Sunday.

The second came from Kagiso Rabada. “Everybody chipped in...We find ways to win.... We believe that any player can do the job for us,” said the South Africa pace ace. Ruled out of the first Test against India at Eden Gardens with a rib injury, Rabada was the first to rush on to the ground after Sunday’s 30-run win.

With a record-equalling 16 goals in the qualifying campaign, five of them in the II-] win against Moldova and a hattrick in a 5-0 victory against Israel, Haaland has headlined this qualifying campaign. The next best is eight goals.