Norway: The Dark Horse (2026) s01e01 Episode Script

1
‎I don't think any team has ever
‎experienced more pressure to succeed
‎than the Norwegian
‎national soccer team has.
‎It's the team of the people.
‎It creates certain emotions
‎that you will not find anywhere else.
‎NORWAY'S NATIONAL MEN'S TEAM HAS
‎NOT QUALIFIED FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
‎IN 26 YEARS
‎When Norway hasn't been in a
‎final tournament for such a long time,
‎and you're the one who
‎ultimately bears that responsibility,
‎you'll also be the one
‎who hands over that legacy.
‎That's just the way it is.
‎Ullevaal is on fire!
‎We'll get to live the dream
‎of playing in America!
‎It's a total collapse!
‎It's soccer history!
‎It's simply remarkable!
‎THIS IS THE INSIDE STORY
‎OF HOW NORWAY ONCE AGAIN
‎QUALIFIED FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
‎TOLD BY THOSE WHO FINALLY DID I
‎Sometimes you wonder why in the world
‎you're doing this job.
‎Why experience this much pain
‎for such a long time?
‎Why are you doing that?
‎And I think it's about
‎STÅLE SOLBAKKEN
‎NATIONAL TEAM COACH
‎The reward is beyond anything else.
‎A focused Martin Ødegaard.
‎A new qualifying round for the World Cup.
‎There are expectations,
‎considering all the setbacks.
‎Let's hope the Norwegian team has learned.
‎Norway mops the floor with Italy!
‎We're going to the World Cup!
‎RETURN OF A NATION
‎EP. 1: STÅLE'S LAST CHANCE
‎MARBELLA
‎SPAIN
‎TRAINING CAMP
‎BEFORE QUALIFYING ROUNDS
‎FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP
‎Hi, there you are.
‎Out of the taxi.
‎Hey, hey.
‎All right.
‎This will be decided through eight games.
‎Eight games.
‎That's what makes this so special.
‎Moldova is game one.
‎And we're only focusing on that game,
‎that's all that matters right now.
‎And then, we'll move on to Israel.
‎We don't have two thoughts in our heads.
‎Now, everything's about
‎eating and sleeping,
‎and we'll be ready tomorrow
‎to get started on the real preparations.
‎I grew up on stories about
‎Norway scoring in Marseille.
‎Seen some videos of it
‎and heard many talk about it
‎MARTIN ØDEGAARD
‎NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN
‎so that's probably the only
‎World Cup memory I have of Norway.
‎So, this is where I'm staying.
‎We'll go inside.
Hold on, I just have to
‎Two seconds.
‎I'm going to turn on the lights and stuff.
‎Come in, come in.
‎Good to see all the boys again
‎and do a new qualification round.
‎This is what we're working for,
‎championships.
‎We do feel that
‎we've been close a lot of times,
‎but it's not been good enough,
‎and then it's good to get another chance.
‎That is the big dream, both for us,
‎and also for all of Norway.
‎The whole country
‎would benefit from experiencing that.
‎The biggest thing you can experience is
‎to play a championship for your country.
‎Come on! No!
‎You're always standing in the middle.
‎When you put on your jersey
‎and meet up, you get excited.
‎SANDER BERGE
‎MIDFIELDER, FULHAM FC
‎The national team has always meant
‎a great deal to me.
‎When you were little and there was
‎a national game on, you were so excited.
‎LEO SKIRI ØSTIGÅRD
‎DEFENDER, GENOA CFC
‎I hope to play a championship with Norway.
‎I'll do everything in my power
‎to help us do that.
‎I really hope that it'll happen.
‎We are a country that does incredibly well
‎in all kinds of sports,
‎but with soccer, we've been
‎OSCAR BOBB
‎MIDFIELDER, FULHAM FC
‎We've been missing something for years.
‎To play on the national team
‎is a privilege.
‎In all my time on the national team,
‎we've talked about
‎the World Cup in '94 and '98
‎ALEXANDER SØRLOTH
‎STRIKER, ATLETICO MADRID
‎and never qualified,
‎no matter how much we've tried.
‎KENT "KENTA" BERGERSEN
‎ASSISTANT COACH
‎I do remember my time, the happy '90s.
‎I'm sure we weren't aware of the fact that
‎that was one of those golden ages.
‎And I doubt we thought
‎that it would take 20, 30 years
‎before that age would come back
‎to Norwegian soccer again.
‎ULLEVAAL STADIUM
‎OSLO, NORWAY
‎Øyvind Alsaker,
‎sports commentator for TV2.
‎ØYVIND ALSAKER
‎SPORTS COMMENTATOR TV2
‎Bearer of bad news.
‎The long walk in the desert
‎for the Norwegian national team
‎came after a golden age.
‎That's a goal!
‎My name is Egil Roger Olsen
‎EGIL ROGER OLSEN
‎FORMER HEAD COACH
‎but I'm better known as Drillo.
‎-What of the Netherlands?
‎-They're good.
‎Okay, good luck.
‎It's a goal! Gøran Sørloth scoring
‎for Norway! Oh, how fun.
‎How many games in a row at Ullevaal
‎do you think I played without losing?
‎I played 36 games in a row without losing.
‎We didn't lose a game at Ullevaal
‎in '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97.
‎1998 WORLD CUP
‎Let's see. Rekdal is cool as a cucumber.
‎He scores!
‎This is the biggest moment
‎in Norwegian sports history.
‎We've beaten Brazil.
‎We were ranked second
‎on the FIFA rankings twice.
‎I'm quite proud of that one.
‎The '90s were amazing.
‎We were playing in the Euros in 2000
‎with Drillo's successors. All was well.
‎EURO CUP 2000
‎This is how we remember the final moments
‎of Norway's efforts in the Euros.
‎One man is taking the defeat
‎harder than the players.
‎Norway is still far off from
‎the best national teams,
‎says Nils Johan Semb, as the Norwegians
‎get knocked out of the Euros.
‎NILS JOHAN SEMB
‎COACH (1998-2003)
‎In 2000, I think we thought that, fine,
‎a small nation is out of one championship,
‎but soon, they'd be back to do another.
‎WORLD CUP 2002
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎Angry and frustrated
‎as an era comes to an end.
‎But there is a bit of denial at first.
‎ "No, this will turn around."
‎"There's something wrong with Semb.
‎There has to be. We were so good before."
‎Tired and resigned, Nils Johan Semb
‎takes his leave as national team coach.
‎It's a very intense job.
‎The whole nation is watching you.
‎Everyone has an opinion about your job.
‎I'll pour some.
‎-Some cognac too?
‎-There you go.
‎And then, Åge Hareide came along,
‎driving a stake further into the team.
‎This could mean humiliation, and it is!
‎WORLD CUP 2006
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎What is Norway doing?
‎It's very close.
‎EUROPEAN CUP 2008
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎Under Åge Hareide's lead, the national
‎team hasn't won a single match in 2008.
‎I'm furious.
‎I'm not disappointed, I'm angry.
‎And gradually,
‎there's a national trauma that grows.
‎It's no fun at all. It's embarrassing.
‎Per-Mathias Høgmo got the dream job.
‎It's an honor to train the national team.
‎The whistle sounds,
‎and Hungary is cheering.
‎Norway has once again failed.
‎EUROPEAN CUP 2016
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎Project "Høgmo" did not go as planned.
‎This week, Høgmo threw in the towel
‎and quit as national team coach.
‎Then, we had Lars Lagerbäck.
‎A master of exactly this.
‎A specialty in qualifying.
‎No, no, no.
‎WORLD CUP 2018
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎Almost, again.
‎EUROPEAN CUP 2020
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎We're all the way down in 86th place.
‎Never before has Norway been
‎ranked so low.
‎Do you think we're going to the World Cup?
‎Absolutely not.
‎We've gone into every qualifying round,
‎thinking that this is where we'll succeed.
‎Norway has always been this "almost team."
‎In my last period, we got quite close.
‎Hey!
‎Åge came quite close.
‎Per-Mathias and Lars got close.
‎All the "almost" years
‎become this weight on the shoulders of
‎every new generation of players.
‎JONAS GAHR STØRE
‎PRIME MINISTER
‎When you like soccer and have a team,
‎you can have your own opinion about that,
‎but a national team is significant.
‎Managing to get through a qualifying round
‎where you then ended up
‎not moving on became more of a rule.
‎We were one size too small.
‎My interest for the national team
‎decreased somewhat.
‎It's more important to find the right man
‎than any man now.
‎I think that's Ståle Solbakken.
‎Ståle "Salvatore" is finally head coach.
‎I've always had a goal
‎to train my country, Norway.
‎You know how close you are to
‎the final tournament?
‎Two more victories.
‎There's nothing that tells me
‎that we can't do that.
‎Plays it to Bergwijn, and he shoots!
‎WORLD CUP 2022
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎The World Cup in Qatar next year
‎will go ahead without Norway.
‎What sort of result does it take for a
‎demanding audience to accept Solbakken?
‎We should be in the play-offs
‎for the Euro Cup 2024, at least.
‎I'm 100%, or at least 99%, certain that we
‎will be in Germany and build upon that.
‎EURO CUP QUALIFYING ROUND
‎NORWAY VS SCOTLAND
‎In a year,
‎we'll have the Euro Cup in Germany,
‎and we would like to see
‎the Norwegian colors in that championship.
‎It was a hot day at Ullevaal.
‎We as a nation had hopes and expectations,
‎and this was a very important game.
‎We were so ready to qualify at this point.
‎We have the best players
‎that Norwegian soccer has ever seen.
‎Martin has
‎a very important position in Arsenal.
‎He sets the pace for the entire team.
‎Erling, who is a monster of a striker.
‎Maybe the world's best finisher.
‎Sørloth's done very well under Ståle's
‎lead and been one of the best players.
‎We have four meters of striker force
‎with muscle, speed and skill.
‎We have a trio at the top
‎that's just magic. It's dynamite.
‎-Gets the cross in.
‎-That is a penalty!
‎Yes, Haaland is down
‎and points to the 11 meter mark.
‎And this goal could be a goal that
‎sends us to the Euro Cup in Germany.
‎That's how important this moment is.
‎Haaland, yes!
‎NORWAY 1 - 0 SCOTLAND
‎He scores!
‎Could you take us through that game?
‎Could you take us back to that evening?
‎Do I have to?
‎Well
‎Back to Norway's "ghost of Scotland."
‎A sold out Ullevaal.
‎Yes, they got what they came for,
‎young and old.
‎And we have a switch.
‎Sander Berge is subbed in.
‎I felt like we had everything
‎under control.
‎Nicely done! Oh, no.
‎Yes, a big chance there for Sander Berge.
‎There are precious few threats.
‎Oh, you have to follow through, Østigård!
‎What in the world is going on?
‎We're giving Scotland the equalizer!
‎I started to get a leg cramp.
‎And I'm the type of person
‎who'd rather be on the field
‎and fight and try
‎for as long as possible.
‎But my legs completely failed me.
‎I remember I was laying on my back and
‎You just feel like
‎you've let everybody down.
‎In such an important match.
‎In the final minutes.
‎And this is Scotland,
‎not some big national team.
‎But I suppose there's some deep-seated
‎Braveheart‎-stuff in their DNA,
‎some "never say die" stuff.
‎Everything's turned upside down,
‎and you can feel the tension at Ullevaal.
‎That uncertainty spreads.
‎ "What are we supposed to do now?"
‎I felt the anxiety. When the score is 1-1,
‎you're thinking, "this isn't good enough."
‎But the hope is alive.
‎This is Scotland, and we're at Ullevaal.
‎We have to win. Something has to happen.
‎We're in trouble here.
‎McGinn. Look at that.
‎Dykes!
‎It's a total collapse!
‎Everything is falling apart!
‎2-1 Scotland.
‎This is so embarrassing.
‎This isauf wiedersehen
‎to the Euro Cup in Germany.
‎EUROPEAN CUP 2024
‎DID NOT QUALIFY
‎I was on the bench,
‎so I had to just watch it happen.
‎ALEXANDER SØRLOTH
‎STRIKER, ATLETICO MADRID
‎And it felt like a movie. You couldn't
‎believe it because we felt in control.
‎Maybe it's the 25 years of "almost"
‎that's messing with us here.
‎It's like the team's just
‎knocked to the ground.
‎And so is the dream of getting
‎to the final tournament
‎that Ståle had promised us!
‎When they hired us, the goal was
‎to get to that particular Euro Cup,
‎so we felt like
‎our whole world came crashing down.
‎Everybody who was in that room,
‎thought that in that moment.
‎Everybody will be out to get us.
‎The booing.
‎It's going to be tough,
‎and it's going to be shitty.
‎You're going to get so much shit
‎in the days to come.
‎Just stick your fingers in your ears
‎and keep working hard.
‎The most important thing for me is that
‎no one is giving each other any looks.
‎That no one's putting any blame on
‎anybody else here. That's no use.
‎It's my responsibility. I make this
‎happen, and I take accountability.
‎It's not about Leo. It's about the team.
‎We stand together, win and lose together,
‎so I don't want to hear more about Leo.
‎That night was just awful.
‎It was so hard to I mean, you
‎You go to your hotel and
‎Well, you cry your eyes out.
‎It's the kind of loss that makes
‎the whole nation turn their backs
‎on everything and everyone
‎around that national team.
‎And they argue,
‎"Yes, but we did a good job there,
‎those five minutes ruined it,
‎we had to switch because he had a cramp."
‎I don't want to hear it.
‎Everyone wanted to fire Ståle.
‎ "That wasn't good enough."
‎People question whether
‎he's the right man for the job.
‎It must be tough on Ståle. Some bad luck,
‎and the whole country turns against you.
‎The crowd doesn't just consist of
‎your people, it is a whole nation.
‎I know that Ståle had
‎a hard time that summer.
‎That's when I need to
‎take a personal time-out,
‎to see if I have the guts
‎to lead a group like this forward.
‎As long as it's up to me,
‎as long as I'm president
‎LISE KLAVENESS
‎SOCCER PRESIDEN
‎I'll keep giving Ståle
‎the opportunity to finish this project,
‎and I'll just step down alongside him
‎if it ever comes to that.
‎It does jab at your pride too, right?
‎But when I see myself in the mirror,
‎I realize that,
‎no, I am the best man to keep doing this
‎and to pull this over the finish line.
‎National team manager, Ståle Solbakken,
‎announced prior to this conference
‎that this will be his last qualifier
‎and his last attempt
‎to take Norway to a championship.
‎MARCH 2025
‎FIRST QUALIFYING MATCH
‎FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP
‎MOLDOVA VS NORWAY
‎ERLING BRAUT HAALAND
‎STRIKER, MANCHESTER CITY FC
‎You've won the Champion's League
‎and the Premier League.
‎Could you describe how it would feel to
‎experience a World Cup with Norway?
‎It would mean a great deal.
‎It's very important for me to be able to
‎qualify for a championship, so
‎I'll do everything in my power
‎to help us do that, and
‎Yeah, I'll work very hard
‎to try and make it happen.
‎This is the third time the team has tried
‎to qualify under Ståle Solbakken.
‎What are some of the steps you as a team
‎have taken under his lead?
‎I don't know. We didn't qualify,
‎so I don't actually know.
‎Erling was asked earlier what sort of
‎steps Norway has taken under your lead,
‎and he said,
‎ "We didn't qualify, so I don't know."
‎What do you think about that?
‎That's just a fact. That's what we
‎That's been our only goal the whole time.
‎Getting over that line.
‎Don't get bogged down by
‎the gravity of it all.
‎Make sure you let your hair down,
‎make sure that you enjoy it.
‎You are the chosen ones.
‎Let your hair down.
‎Play smiling. Support each other.
‎No matter what happens and
‎how the game goes, you need to enjoy it.
‎GROUP I
‎WC QUALIFYING GAMES 2025
‎Haaland!
‎We have a very focused
‎group of Norwegians here
‎who know that they have to deliver.
‎Ødegaard with a good pass to Sørloth.
‎I enjoy playing on a bigger occasion.
‎It helps me to get more fired up.
‎JULIAN RYERSON
‎BACK, BORUSSIA DORTMUND
‎Sørloth tries a cross.
‎He lost it, the ball is free, it's 1-0!
‎4'
‎MOLDOVA 0 - 1 NORWAY
‎Ryerson knocks in a dream start!
‎The first goal feels amazing.
‎If it takes too long to get the first goal
‎in a match like this, it can get dicey.
‎We're bulldozing Moldova here.
‎MOLDOVA 0 - 5 NORWAY
‎FINAL RESUL
‎DEBRECEN
‎HUNGARY
‎Here we are in Hungary.
‎MARCH 25TH, 2025
‎ISRAEL VS NORWAY
‎We're facing Israel on neutral grounds.
‎This Israeli team has its qualities,
‎but we should be seeing three points
‎for Martin Ødegaard's team.
‎-Lovely ball towards Ødegaard.
‎-And a breakthrough there!
‎Yes, there it is!
‎Here comes Israel.
‎And it's a goal.
‎54'
‎ISRAEL 1 - 1 NORWAY
‎First goal conceded for Norway in
‎this qualifier. How will we handle this?
‎We've had 10 years of disappointment,
‎and so it's easy to start thinking
‎KRISTOFFER AJER
‎BACK, BRENTFORD FC
‎ "Oh no, is this one of those?"
‎58'
‎ISRAEL 1 - 2 NORWAY
‎Yes! And Norway responds
‎almost immediately.
‎We have a mentality within the troops
‎where we can turn around and go for it.
‎So when we got that goal,
‎and 3-1 came pretty soon after,
‎it was a relief.
‎A good indicator
‎that a team is in development.
‎ISRAEL 2 - 4 NORWAY
‎FINAL RESUL
‎How one responds in the face of adversity.
‎Martin Ødegaard gets a bear hug
‎from the boss.
‎GROUP I
‎WC QUALIFYING GAMES 2025
‎We have opened this World Cup qualifier
‎in an impressive manner,
‎getting six out of six possible points.
‎Next gathering is in June.
‎We're facing Italy at Ullevaal.
‎Oh, come on!
‎When I was six years old, I realized
‎that I wanted to be a soccer player.
‎I didn't just want it.
‎I was going to become a soccer player.
‎ANTONIO NUSA
‎WINGER, RB LEIPZIG
‎From a young age, even though my head
‎wasn't there yet, I knew I was good at it.
‎When it comes to the professional side
‎of things, it's all about results,
‎and not that much about fun and games.
‎But I would say that my main focus
‎has always been that. Having fun.
‎I've tried to maintain those core values
‎that I've been building up over the years.
‎What allows me to enjoy soccer,
‎so to speak.
‎JUNE 6TH, 2025
‎NORWAY VS. ITALY
‎The crowd is flocking to
‎a sold out Ullevaal stadium,
‎where their opponent is none other than
‎Italy, the 2021 European Champions.
‎Italy has a good defense,
and Donnarumma
‎GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA
‎ITALIAN KEEPER
‎one of the world's best keepers.
‎We've been here before,
‎and then, they fail, time and again.
‎What kind of personal responsibility
‎to succeed do you feel?
‎What is your biggest challenge and worry
‎ahead of this game?
‎The Italy game in 1991
‎was the beginning of a fairy tale.
‎Ready to write another?
‎During warm-ups,
‎there were already so many fans there.
‎I got chills.
‎I was so focused.
‎The most important thing for me
‎is that everyone has their chin up,
‎and that everybody wants this.
‎Everyone will enjoy it.
‎Erling, Alex and Nusa.
‎You're going to terrorize
‎those three defenders.
‎The stadium is full. It could have been
‎sold out three times over.
‎There's expectation in the air, as usual,
‎sprinkled with a bit of discomfort
‎given all previous setbacks.
‎Haaland and Sørloth
‎will be difficult to stop.
‎But Italy has Donnarumma.
‎Tonight, a very different opposition
‎than in the first two games.
‎Norway is forced to drop deep
‎in the first few minutes.
‎Italy is controlling everything so far.
‎We'll see if we can get the ball soon,
‎but Italy looks very confident right now.
‎All of Norway's players
‎are on their own half.
‎See that step, how he carries the ball.
‎Passes to Sørloth.
‎Sørloth is through!
‎Yes!
‎NORWAY 1 - 0 ITALY
‎1-0 to Norway! The flag is down!
‎And it's Nusa, and it's Alexander Sørloth!
‎Norway 1, Italy 0,
‎a dreamy start at Ullevaal!
‎I've never felt the way I did then.
‎Look at that turn.
‎Here comes Antonio Nusa.
‎He shoots!
‎Incredibly focused.
‎I was basically locked in.
‎Look at how efficiently
‎the Norwegian team is countering.
‎Look at Nusa,
‎the way he shifts his weight.
‎He's like a rocket!
‎Antonio Nusa!
‎NORWAY 2 - 0 ITALY
‎Yes! Antonio Nusa!
‎He smashes in 2-0!
‎The kids in the stands
‎can't believe their eyes.
‎If you let Antonio Nusa loose at Ullevaal,
‎you'll get something resembling
‎the best soccer player in the world.
‎Scoring a goal at Ullevaal
‎is indescribable.
‎It feels like you're flying.
‎Like you're walking on water. That's it.
‎This is far better than
‎what we had expected.
‎-Look! Look!
‎-Erling Braut Haaland coming through!
‎-Look at this!
‎-He dribbles the keeper!
‎42'
‎NORWAY 3 - 0 ITALY
‎It's 3-0 to Norway! Erling Braut Haaland!
‎Martin Ødegaard!
‎That's the combination we love to see!
‎Our two superstars!
‎MATCH 3 - NORWAY 3 - 0 ITALY
‎FINAL RESUL
‎We won 3-0 against Italy!
‎CAN I HAVE YOUR JERSEY,
‎ANTONIO NUSA?
‎Everything around it, what it means
‎to people, to you and your family.
‎That's what moves me.
‎Oh, my goodness.
‎This is the dream, right here.
‎TALLINN
‎ESTONIA
‎TWO DAYS LATER
‎Not today.
‎Out!
‎Estonia is a really difficult exercise
‎because that discharge you have
‎after Italy
‎makes this a really tricky match.
‎Damn good!
‎Where you very easily can ruin
‎the amazing thing you've created.
‎We've had a good vibe. It's been light
‎and loose today too. Decent quality.
‎But each of you has a huge responsibility
‎to be there when the whistle blows.
‎JUNE 9TH, 2025
‎ESTONIA VS NORWAY
‎A bit imprecise in the opening, Norway.
‎We had just beaten Italy and felt that
‎we were walking on air a little bit.
‎But we were quickly brought down to earth.
‎Kristal makes an attempt!
‎Everyone just assumed that we'd
‎go out there and beat Estonia,
‎and everything would be fine.
‎Norway has had plenty of chances to cross.
‎But he's not able to score.
‎We were too cautious with the ball.
‎The pace, too slow.
‎We couldn't put them under pressure.
‎We got a couple of minor chances.
‎HALF-TIME
‎ESTONIA 0 - 0 NORWAY
‎We grew up in Norway.
‎We didn't grow up
‎with any kind of suffering.
‎That's what we struggled with,
‎that we could play well for 80 minutes,
‎and then we'd get four, five bad minutes.
‎And we didn't push through
‎because we found it uncomfortable.
‎Tempo, tempo, tempo without stress.
‎So they feel that they can't escape
‎our iron grip.
‎So we've gotten a lot better
‎at standing our ground.
‎Those 45 minutes will be long for them.
‎-Okay, are you in?
‎-Yeah!
‎Let's punish them.
‎Keep going. Stay calm. No stress.
‎Get the ball into the fucking net.
‎Outnumber them in the counterattacks.
‎Three against two, two against one.
‎We're going to score, guys.
‎Ødegaard catches it.
‎Change of direction.
‎Estonia ups the pace.
‎Oh, my!
‎Nyland has no control over that one!
‎What in the world!
‎Look at this. Schjønning-Larsen.
‎Sinyavskiy on the flank.
‎He's proven to be a threat before.
‎Good defense from Ryerson. Sørloth can
‎go for it. Haaland is with him.
‎Martin Ødegaard gets it. Two against one!
‎Martin Ødegaard towards Haaland!
‎Ødegaard lets it go to Haaland!
‎And then
‎It's an underrated moment.
‎It was an insanely important goal.
‎1-0, Erling, away against Estonia.
‎ESTONIA 0 - 1 NORWAY
‎FINAL SCORE
‎Many missed passes from Ødegaard
‎and things you can't really believe.
‎It was a tremendous step down.
‎But they won on a bad day.
‎That's the trademark of a good team.
‎I think reviving that player group
‎after Scotland
‎That's Ståle's greatest achievement.
‎As a leader to be able to
‎keep that group together
‎and keep up the faith in the project,
‎without losing authority
‎That deserves top marks.
‎Today at FC Copenhagen's training grounds,
‎33-year-old Ståle Solbakken
‎fell unconscious after a cardiac arrest.
‎Solbakken was actually
‎clinically dead for five minutes,
‎but was brought to life
‎and has been taken off the respirator.
‎Nobody knows how long
‎Solbakken is going to stay here.
‎A regular morning.
‎I drive my oldest boy to daycare
‎and head off to practice.
‎Forty minutes into the practice
‎my heart just stops.
‎ANNIKEN SOLBAKKEN
‎STÅLE'S WIFE
‎Well, it's a bit like
‎Someone rings my doorbell.
‎Two player-wives
‎that I don't really know that well.
‎The story is that
‎Ståle was hit by a ball in the head.
‎We're in the car on our way to the
‎trauma center at the National Hospital.
‎And that's when you
start to realize that
‎it's not just a cut to the eyebrow.
‎We get in there,
‎and that's when I get the first,
‎slightly cold assessment from a doctor.
‎It's kind of the cold facts.
‎ "We have to hope"
‎ "We hope he wakes up."
‎ "We hope his memory
will recover." I mean
‎And then,
‎there are a few days where things
‎Chance would have it so that there was
‎a doctor on the grounds that day,
‎which rarely happened
‎when we played there.
‎So I got the treatment I needed
‎before getting electrocuted back to life.
‎AFTER 30 HOURS,
‎STÅLE WAKES UP FROM A COMA
‎A tired Ståle Solbakken
‎is on his way home.
‎He's not allowed to drive yet,
‎but is looking forward
‎to getting a lift back home to his family.
‎Thanks to a pacemaker
‎that has been inserted,
‎Ståle Solbakken has received
‎his life insurance.
‎In one day, you go from being ‎a
pro athlete to a heart patient. That's
‎The way I know Ståle, he went
‎a couple of rounds with himself
‎because his desire to play
‎was most certainly quite big.
‎But at the time, Ståle made a decision
‎that he knew we would be happy with.
‎Ståle Solbakken has played
‎his last soccer match.
‎The heart failure that caused him
‎to collapse during practice in March
‎was so serious
‎that the 33-year-old is now retiring.
‎There's been a lot of talk about
‎traffic lights, red, yellow or green.
‎I got a yellow light.
‎So I have to stop.
‎It's sad, but I think I'll get through it.
‎I'm going to keep my
head up, even though
‎Yeah, it's hard to accept.
‎The soccer was torn away from me.
‎All of a sudden, it was over.
‎I would have liked to
‎see it end differently.
‎When life is good,
‎something usually pops up.
‎I have a team to live up to now.
‎You knew he could be a soccer coach
‎from the time he was six, seven years old.
‎When we played soccer in the yard,
‎he was the one who was running the shop.
‎I don't have time for anyone to curse
‎or swear or despair for long.
‎And he was a born winner.
‎He hated losing and did everything to win.
‎You have to use your head!
‎You have to get involved!
‎He has played over 50 national matches,
‎and he's learned a lot from Drillo.
‎We are moments away
‎from one of the biggest events
‎1998 WORLD CUP
‎BRAZIL VS NORWAY
‎in Norwegian sports history.
‎I had a lot of good players at the time,
‎so Ståle had to sit on the bench a lot.
‎He gets the cross in,
‎and the goal is a fact!
‎I wanted to send in the fastest player
‎we had, and he was ready.
‎And then I hear Ståle shouting, "Jostein!"
‎A change is made
‎for the Norwegian substitution.
‎It's not Østensø who's coming on,
‎but Jostein Flo.
‎This is incredible! We're back!
‎We've beaten Brazil!
‎Naturally, that was a really good idea.
‎I didn't just think, I was quite certain
‎that he would make a good coach.
‎GROUP I
‎WC QUALIFYING GAMES 2025
‎NORWAY - ISRAEL - ESTONIA
‎ITALY - MOLDOVA
‎Italy kept on pushing Norway
‎after quite a tough start.
‎They won the matches
‎they had to win all the way.
‎So the goal-difference game was kept open.
‎That was a bit tricky.
‎NORWAY VS MOLDOVA
‎But how big a victory does Norway need
‎at Ullevaal tonight?
‎Goal difference trumps
‎head-to-head record in this qualification.
‎So even though we beat Italy 3-0
‎here at Ullevaal,
‎it's still a battle over who can score
‎the most goals until our away game.
‎Goal differences can turn out to be
‎really nice to have towards the end.
‎We just have to press on
‎throughout the match.
‎Another treat here.
‎Look at that! Look at that!
‎NORWAY 1 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎Look at that goal!
‎towards Haaland!
‎There was never any doubt!
‎NORWAY 2 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎That's two.
‎There's an opportunity here.
‎Three on three if they decide to press on.
‎And that's what Martin Ødegaard does.
‎Erling Braut Haaland, bang!
‎NORWAY 3 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎-Here he is again.
‎-Is it a hat-trick?
‎NORWAY 4 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎Yes, it's a hat-trick!
‎It's going And now! Finally!
‎NORWAY 5 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎Martin Ødegaard!
‎HALF-TIME
‎NORWAY 5 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎They're doing worse. Nice goals, Erling.
‎Close to a penalty on that corner.
‎Did you see how he pulled me?
‎Let's calm down, boys.
‎We have a lot more to give.
‎Nusa! You should spread out more,
‎and you're too flashy.
‎Wolfe. If you've been there five times
‎without getting a pass
‎I haven't seen you telling him once.
‎You should kick him in the ass.
‎Ståle is an honest man.
‎He's very good at
‎getting the best out of us all.
‎Just press them in
‎and leave the right side alone.
‎That will make it harder
‎on the other side.
‎Ståle is very direct and clear.
‎There's no point in
‎mollycoddling soccer players.
‎Come on.
‎We've been working on
‎becoming a bit tougher.
‎We've been a nice bunch since
‎I started on the national team in 2019,
‎but it might have been
‎a little too good and nice.
‎Now, we provide feedback, in practice,
‎during matches, and most of all Ståle.
‎Norway puts pressure on Moldova
‎right from the start of the second half.
‎Sometimes, I have to look
‎a little further ahead than the players.
‎Goal difference could become crucial.
‎Moldova looked tired.
‎We had to stick the knife all the way in.
‎Wolfe makes a cross!
‎NORWAY 6 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎He scores!
‎NORWAY 7 - 0 MOLDOVA
‎Yeah! Number eight!
‎Come on, Thelo Aasgaard.
‎NORWAY 9 - 1 MOLDOVA
‎Low ball in front.
‎NORWAY 10 - 1 MOLDOVA
‎NORWAY 11 - 1 MOLDOVA
‎NORWAY 11 - 1 MOLDOVA
‎FINAL SCORE
‎Bad news for the national team.
‎Martin Ødegaard will not
‎be attending the next gathering.
‎The team captain was injured
‎in yesterday's Arsenal match.
‎The Norwegian men will face Israel
‎in a very important
‎World Cup qualifying match.
‎It's been an unusual build-up
‎to this match.
‎The press conference was in large part
‎about the conflict on the Gaza Strip.
‎A big goal has been
‎to shield Ståle and the players.
‎The leadership deals with the politics,
‎and the players stay in their bubble.
‎The worst-case scenario
‎that we have to prepare for
‎is someone getting onto the pitch or doing
‎something that forces us to stop the game.
‎It's our responsibility to complete
‎the match. We risk losing the match.
‎OCTOBER 11TH, 2025
‎NORWAY VS ISRAEL
‎The important thing is
‎to stand our ground.
‎There's no guarantee that we'll score
‎after five, 10 or 15 or 20 minutes.
‎We need 93, 95, 96 with a solid effort.
‎There should be no difference between
‎minute 70 and minute five.
‎Give them hell all the way.
‎In Saturday's game against Israel,
‎Haaland will be acting captain
‎in Martin Ødegaard's absence‎.
‎Come on, Erling.
‎The road towards
‎a long-awaited soccer World Cup.
‎The eyes of the world
‎are looking at Ullevaal Stadium.
‎The Norwegian team is currently on a level
‎where very few nations in the world
‎can stand against them.
‎What could go wrong?
‎We're at the kickoff.
‎Marciniak blows the whistle.
‎And Patrick Berg gets going.
‎Haaland on the run. Sørloth cuts inward.
‎Manages to keep hold of the ball.
‎Bobb. Haaland.
‎First attempt.
‎Oscar Bobb!
‎Patrick Berg is in the way
‎and is taken down.
‎A penalty is decided.
‎Erling Braut Haaland is ready.
‎Everyone has a percentage of fear
‎and anxiety that they will fail.
‎Even though Erling is
‎the best scorer in the world,
‎I doubt he's free from anxiety
‎before he takes a penalty shot.
‎He has scored in every single match
‎in this World Cup qualification.
‎He's running up! No!
‎Peretz saves phenomenally.
‎They're checking to see
‎if Peretz was outside the line
‎as Haaland struck the ball.
‎Yes, he ran over the line.
‎Erling Braut Haaland gets
‎a second attempt.
‎No! He missed that one too!
‎Erling Braut Haaland with
‎a double penalty miss!
‎From the Israeli keeper.
‎Well, Ståle Solbakken
‎A 1-0 goal this early would have
‎been very beneficial.
‎Someone has made it past the barriers.
‎Storming the pitch has been a topic.
‎Sander Berge has taken huge steps.
‎He has become a titan on the midfield
‎and proves it here. Sørloth.
‎To the line.
‎That's good!
‎It's beautiful! It's amazing!
‎1-0, Antonio Nusa.
‎He almost can't believe it.
‎NORWAY 1 - 0 ISRAEL
‎Once again, he opens the dance floor
‎for the Norwegian colors.
‎That was a match
‎that meant a lot for other reasons,
‎and it wasn't just about soccer.
‎We have to do our job
‎no matter what people are talking about.
‎It was about so much more than soccer,
‎understandably enough.
‎Will he get his revenge? Yes!
‎Erling Braut Haaland.
‎Goals in every single
‎NORWAY 5 - 0 ISRAEL
‎FINAL SCORE
‎World Cup qualifying match.
‎The final score is 5-0 to Norway.
‎You'll hear something
‎you didn't think you'd get to hear.
‎Let's hear it.
‎It is as follows:
‎tomorrow, we'll stick to the program.
‎We're sticking to the program. However
‎I trust you guys so much that
‎you'll get freedom with responsibility.
‎One man is not going out tonight.
‎That's me. You're going out.
‎The support staff are going out.
‎And you're going to have a good time. Go!
‎I just want to say that it's been nice
‎to play for the national team this year.
‎Could I get a "Ringsnæss?"
‎I was thinking a skin fade, Aron.
‎And yellow hair like what you have on top.
‎-Yellow?
‎-White.
‎ULLEVAAL STADIUM
‎No!
‎Hey, hey, hey.
‎-How can I miss?
‎-Yes! Yes!
‎GROUP I
‎WC QUALIFYING GAMES 2025
‎PLAYED - GOAL DIFFERENCE -
‎POINTS
‎NOVEMBER 13TH, 2025
‎NORWAY VS ESTONIA
‎A draw or a loss makes no difference.
‎So no one was worried about
‎losing to Estonia at Ullevaal.
‎But those of us
‎who have been around for a while
‎have seen 0-0 against Latvia at Ullevaal
‎in an important, decisive match,
‎0-0 against Slovenia at Ullevaal
‎in an important, decisive match.
‎So a 0-0 result is not that far-fetched.
‎You never know.
‎What can you tell us about
‎Martin Ødegaard's situation?
‎He's well on his way through rehab.
‎When he'll be ready is something
‎neither he nor Arsenal nor we know.
‎It was a heavy blow.
‎I had really been looking forward to
‎this gathering,
‎and with the position we're in now,
‎we know what we're playing for,
‎and having to miss that hurts.
‎With national team soccer, you have
‎very few matches to achieve your goals.
‎One wrong move is all it takes.
‎These guys are under immense pressure.
‎How do the Norwegian players deal
‎with the pressure they're feeling now?
‎But they leave space open!
‎And Antonio Nusa takes advantage of that.
‎He didn't quite hit with that cross.
‎The stress and the nerves
‎There's more of that in the stands.
‎Out there, you have control.
‎The Norwegian team is struggling,
‎like they did in Tallinn.
‎HALF-TIME
‎NORWAY 0 - 0 ESTONIA
‎The whistle blows.
‎Some booing. Some frustration.
‎The score is 0-0,
‎and Estonia deserves credit for that.
‎It's also a sign that the Norwegian play
‎hasn't been working out for them.
‎This is where we are.
‎We're at the point where
‎we have to give everything we have,
‎both mentally, physically,
‎and not least tactically.
‎Make sure you keep up the intensity
‎for 45 minutes or more.
‎So they feel they can never catch a break.
‎You haven't played a bad half at all.
‎It's been a normal half against a team
‎that works hard, that has been compact,
‎and that has lived on our mercy.
‎Don't let them get away with it now.
‎The pattern of play that we wanted
‎is what we're getting in the second half.
‎How about this one?
‎Wow, wow!
‎It's Alexander Sørloth!
‎NORWAY 1 - 0 ESTONIA
‎He regains it. Over to Haaland.
‎Sørloth once again!
‎NORWAY 2 - 0 ESTONIA
‎He's scored twice tonight! Alex the great!
‎On the move again.
‎Very well done by Ryerson.
‎And the cross is in for Haaland!
‎Erling Braut Haaland!
‎NORWAY 3 - 0 ESTONIA
‎Crosses in with his left.
‎Into the roof!
‎Haaland's second! Our fourth.
‎NORWAY 4 - 0 ESTONIA
‎The whistle blows. The cheers erupt.
‎It's these moments
‎that you play soccer for.
‎All the bad experiences, all the pressure.
‎There are
‎a lot of emotions in that moment.
‎Congratulations, Ståle Solbakken.
‎This has to work.
‎Go through tough times together,
‎grow stronger.
‎NORWAY 4 - 1 ESTONIA
‎FINAL SCORE
‎HAALAND FOR KING (SORRY HARALD)
‎Yes!
‎Almost there.
‎THE SAME EVENING,
‎THE TEAM WATCHES
‎ITALY PLAY AGAINST MOLDOVA
‎IF ITALY DOESN'T WIN,
‎NORWAY QUALIFIES FOR THE WC
‎It was so fucking close.
‎Norway has World Cup fever.
‎Yes, but none of the gentlemen on
‎the national team will utter those words.
‎In the backrooms,
‎preparations are already underway
‎for a grand celebration in downtown Oslo.
‎On Monday, ‎there will
be a big celebration
‎No, I don't want to talk about that.
‎We're done now.
‎Thanks.
‎I'm terrified of jinxing it.
‎We're close now, but we'll have to save
‎everything till after the Italy game.
‎The Norwegian people, the supporters,
‎have already taken the victory in advance.
‎If it all goes wrong, how bad could it be?
‎Yeah, it's easy to forget the history.
‎ITALY - NORWAY
‎I've not met a Norwegian
‎who doesn't think we can do this.
‎You just want that, "It's over.
‎There, we're in the World Cup."
‎But what if Italy wins by eight, nine?
‎Well, you never know.
‎Italy takes the lead early on!
‎Here's Antonio Nusa. He shoots!