Haaland Shines with Hat-Trick Despite Missing Penalties
In an exciting World Cup qualifying match, Manchester City star Erling Haaland demonstrated his lethality in front of goal, despite an unusual start. The Norwegian striker, representing his national team, scored a hat-trick in Norway’s 5-0 victory over Israel.
The match, played in Oslo, began with misfortune for Haaland, who missed two penalties. The first was saved by Daniel Peretz, an Israeli goalkeeper. The referee ordered the penalty to be retaken, but Peretz guessed the direction of the shot again.
However, Haaland redeemed himself in the first half, scoring a goal with a powerful shot after receiving a pass from Alexander Sørloth. This goal marked his tenth goal in the qualifying phase.
The Norwegian striker continued his goal-scoring display, scoring two more goals to bring his total to 12, the most in UEFA qualifying matches. In addition, he has accumulated 12 goals in nine games with City this season, raising his tally to 136 goals in 155 games with the club.
With this hat-trick, Haaland reached 51 goals with the Norwegian national team, solidifying himself as the country’s all-time top scorer. He reached 50 goals in just 46 matches.
The victory keeps Norway undefeated in the standings, with six wins in six matches. They lead Group I, with a nine-point lead over Italy.
Norway hasn’t participated in a World Cup since 1998.
Before the match in Oslo, peaceful pro-Palestinian protests took place. The police stayed near the stadium at a safe distance from the protesters.
The stadium was almost full, with between 22,000 and 23,000 spectators. Capacity was reduced by 3,000 seats due to security measures.
