In an exciting World Cup qualifying match, Manchester City star Erling Haaland showed his quality by scoring an impressive hat-trick for Norway against Israel, despite missing two penalties.
The match, which culminated in a resounding 5-0 victory for Norway, witnessed Haaland’s resilience and goal-scoring instinct.
Double Errors From the Penalty Spot
The Norwegian striker had an unusual start, missing two penalties. The first was saved by Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. The referee ordered the penalty to be retaken, but Peretz guessed the direction of the shot again.
Hat-trick and Goal-Scoring Dominance
Haaland recovered from his mistakes with a goal from outside the area after a pass from Alexander Sørloth. Subsequently, he scored two more goals, raising his personal tally to 12 goals in the qualifying phase, the highest figure in the UEFA rankings.
In addition to his performance with the national team, Haaland has scored 12 goals in nine games for Manchester City this season, totaling 136 goals in 155 games for the club.
The hat-trick raised his goal total with Norway to 51, solidifying him as his country’s all-time top scorer. Haaland reached this mark in just 46 matches, surpassing figures like Harry Kane, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo in reaching 50 goals.
The victory keeps Norway undefeated in the qualifying phase, 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.
