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captain erling hollandcomposed half time conversation broke out norwayA dramatic 4-1 win over Estonia on Thursday took the team to the brink of World Cup qualification for the first time since 1998.
Leading the team in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard, Haaland rallied his teammates after a goalless first half in Oslo, where disappointed home fans booed and jeered as the players walked down the tunnel.
Norway scored four goals in 12 minutes, while Alexander Sorloth scored two in a row just five minutes after the restart, before Haaland scored an own goal. Robbie Saarma scored a consolation goal for Estonia in the 64th minute.
Midfielder Morten Thorsby said Haaland’s message was calm: “Erling was very nice and calm, he gave us confidence that ‘We’ll fix it, boys. We’re going to get that goal, we just have to keep going.’ “That’s the kind of confidence we need in these games,” Thorsby told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
Defender Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem said Haaland also sent a tactical message.
“He said we have to feed them more crosses… just hit them into the box more. Especially when they sit so deep and we have to play around them a lot.” Heggem told NRK. “It worked, you can see it after five minutes.”
Thoresby said that both Haaland and Odegaard have “made huge steps forward as leaders” and are increasingly taking on more responsibility.
“They’ve also gained a better understanding of their impact on the rest of us,” he said. “What they say, what they do and how they act – it spreads.”
Norway have now secured their place in next year’s tournament in North America by opening up a three-point lead over second-placed Italy in Group I.
They host the Italians in Oslo on Sunday, potentially heading to the play-offs in March, having to beat Norway and overcome an impossible deficit of 17 goals to snatch an automatic qualifying spot.