Norway 3-1 Cyprus: Erling Haaland takes season goal tally up to 56

Norway 3-1 Cyprus: Erling Haaland scores twice to finish his season with 56 goals as Stale Solbakken’s side finally pick up their first win of Euro 2024 qualifying campaign

  • Norway were winless heading into their Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Cyprus
  • Ola Solbakken scored first, before Erling Haaland added two in the second half 
  • This brought Haaland’s goal tally in all competitions this season up to 56 goals 

Norway’s Erling Haaland scored twice in the second half as they cruised to a 3-1 win over Cyprus on Tuesday to get their Euro 2024 Group A campaign back on track after a shock 2-1 home defeat to Scotland in their previous game.

The win lifts the Norwegians to third in the five-team group on four points from four matches.

They are behind second-placed Georgia on goal difference while Scotland, who hosted Georgia on Tuesday, top the group with nine points from three games.

Norway broke the deadlock in the 12th minute as Alexander Sorloth’s cross from the right flew just over Haaland but dropped perfectly for Ola Solbakken to blast home his first international goal.

Haaland converted a penalty in the 56th minute and followed that up with another powerful finish on the hour to take his season tally to 56 goals.

Erling Haaland (right) scored twice for Norway as they beat Cyprus 3-1 in Oslo on Tuesday 

Haaland took his season tally to 56 goals in all competitions with the second half strikes

Stale Solbakken’s side (right) secured the first win of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign

This is the most of any player in the top five European leagues and two more than France and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Grigoris Kastanos scored a stoppage-time consolation for the visitors to reduce the deficit but it could not spoil the party as the Norwegians chalked up their first win in the group.

They are one point clear of Spain but La Roja have played two games fewer due to their exploits in the Nations League finals over the past week. 

MATCH FACTS 

NORWAY: (4-3-3) Nyland; Ryerson (Wembangomo 59), Stranberg, Ostigard, Meling; Odegaard, Berg (Thorstvedt 74), Aursnes (Velde 87); Sorloth, Haaland (Finne 87), Solbakken (Berge 59)

SUBS NOT USED: Ajer, Daehli, Dyngeland, Elyounoussi, Gregersen, Larsen, Selvik

GOALS: Solbakken 12, Haaaland 56 + 60 

BOOKED: Aursnes, Finne

MANAGER : Stale Solbakken

CYPRUS : (5-4-1) Mall; Antoniou (Loizou 61), Gogic, Laifis, Ioannou, Correia; Charalampous (Tzionis 61), Kousoulos (Satsias 90+2), Kastanos, Pileas (Andreou 61); Pittas (Christofi 70)

SUBS NOT USED: Antoniadis, Correa, Dimitriou, Ilia, Michail, Panagi, Sergiou

GOALS: Kastanos 90+3 

BOOKED: Pittas 

MANAGER : Temur Ketsbaia

REFEREE: A Stavrev 

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