Erling Haaland had a wild night in Oslo missing two penalties but still walking away with the match ball.
The Manchester City striker fired a hat-trick in Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, despite twice being denied from the spot by Daniel Peretz.
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Haaland’s first penalty was saved, but referee Szymon Marciniak ordered a retake after Peretz moved early. The Norwegian tried the opposite corner the second time only for the Israeli keeper to guess right again and make another save.
But the miss didn’t rattle him. Moments later, Haaland struck low after connecting with Alexander Sørloth’s pass, netting his 10th goal of the qualifying campaign.
He added two more after the break, taking his tally to 12 the most of any player in UEFA qualifying. The City star now has 51 international goals, extending his record as Norway’s all-time top scorer.
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For comparison, he reached the 50-goal mark in just 46 games far quicker than Harry Kane (71), Neymar (74), or Kylian Mbappé (90). Even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo needed over 100 games to get there.
Norway remain perfect in qualifying with six wins from six, sitting nine points clear of Italy in Group I. The victory keeps their hopes alive of reaching their first World Cup since 1998.
Before kick-off, peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place outside the Oslo stadium. Protesters held signs and chanted slogans while police maintained a controlled distance. Around 22,000 fans filled the stands, with seating capacity reduced by 3,000 for security reasons.
