Norway stayed in pole position to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup since 1998, as they kept their 100% record in Group I intact with a narrow, but deserved 1-0 win over Estonia.
As Norway came into this game on the back of a convincing victory over Italy, Estonia would have been pleased with their start as they matched their more illustrious opponents in an opening 20 minutes that produced little goalmouth action.
However, the visitors took control of the game as the half wore on, but the normally prolific Norwegians failed to score before the break, as Europe’s top scorers in this qualifying cycle missed chance after chance late in the first half.
Sander Berge went closest for Ståle Solbakken’s side, as his shot from the edge of the box fizzed past Karl Hein but grazed the outside of the post, shortly after Morten Thorsby had made a surprise appearance in the opposition box, but failed to grab his first goal for the national team as he glanced his header wide.
Just before half-time, it was a more obvious name on the end of a chance, but Erling Haaland placed his shot straight at Hein from just 10 yards out.
Estonia - Norway match statsFlashscore
With only two victories at home since the start of 2023, it was always going to be a big ask for Jurgen Henn’s side to prevail in Tallinn, but for one brief, flitting moment, they came close to taking the lead.
Having survived a scare when Haaland’s glancing header bounced back off the post, Estonia went up the other end and rattled the woodwork themselves, as Vlasiy Sinyavskiy’s fierce shot from the corner of the box hammered against the crossbar. It proved to be a light before the dark, as less than 10 minutes later, Norway took the lead.
A lucky break allowed Martin Odegaard to slip the ball into Haaland, and despite his first shot being blocked, the Manchester City striker was on hand to tap home the rebound.
For all Norway’s dominance on the night, the home side rallied late in the game and were once again denied by the woodwork, with Maksim Paskotši’s deflected shot spinning awkwardly towards goal before bouncing to safety via the inside of Orjan Nyland’s post. It would be the closest the Blueshirts came to rescuing an unlikely point, as they drop down to fourth in Group I.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Martin Odegaard (Norway)