Borussia Dortmund internationals: Erling Haaland and Norway miss out on EURO 2021 qualification
By Tushar Bahl
Erling Haaland will not be at next summer’s European Championships, after Norway were eliminated from the qualifying play-off semi finals in extra time.
Norway and Serbia faced off on Thursday evening in the EURO 2021 playoff semi-finals in Oslo, with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland leading the line for his country alongside RB Leipzig’s Alexander Sørloth. But their firepower was not enough to lead Norway to victory, as Serbia edged out the contest 2-1 to seal their passage to the playoff finals.
Both teams went with a rather conservative approach in what was a tightly contested game with so much at stake. It took until the 81st minute for the first goal to arrive, and it was Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic who scored to give Serbia the lead after finding himself in the right place at the right time.
Facing elimination, Norway responded well and got their equaliser just two minutes from full time thanks to Mathias Normann’s excellent low strike from the edge of the area.
Extra time ensued, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic popped up in the box once again to beat Norway goalkeeper Rune Jarstein with a fine chipped finish in the 102nd minute. The goal proved to be the winner, sending Serbia into the playoff finals, and ending Norway’s dream of reaching the 2021 European Championships.
Norway haven’t qualified for a major international tournament since EURO 2000. And despite the exciting young talent in their ranks, they will not be at next summer’s Euros either. Haaland and co. will now have to turn their attentions to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which begin in March.
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Elsewhere, Axel Witsel and Thomas Meunier were unused substitutes as Belgium were held to a 1-1 draw by Ivory Coast in their international friendly. While Jadon Sancho was not part of England’s 3-0 win over Wales after breaking COVID-19 restrictions to attend a party last week. The Borussia Dortmund forward will be back in the squad for the next game, and could go up against Witsel and Meunier when England and Belgium face off in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.