A former Norway manager has blasted Erling Haaland for his inability to score against Kazakhstan, branding the striker’s performance as ‘one of the worst things’ he’s seen.
Haaland started up top for Norway as they travelled to Kazakhstan for a Nations League fixture on Friday.
Alongside the Manchester City superstar, Norway boasted Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, electric RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa and Atletico Madrid marksman Alexander Sorloth in their line-up.
Yet the plethora of attacking talent were unable to break down Kazakhstan, with the match ending in a goalless draw.
It wasn’t for lack of trying, as Norway registered 19 shots in total and boasted 71 per cent of possession.
Haaland was unable to convert any of his chances in Norway’s 0-0 draw against Kazakhstan
The Manchester City striker is two goals away from equalling Norway’s goalscoring record
Despite boasting Haaland up top, Norway have struggled to qualify for major tournaments
However, only two of Norway’s shots were on target as Haaland had an unusually poor night at the office.
Speaking to TV2, ex-Norway and Wimbledon boss Egil Olsen did not hold back in his verdict on how Haaland had played and reserved some criticism for Odegaard too.
‘We have two world-class players in the team’, Olsen said.
‘Today Erling Braut Haaland was unfortunately far below par. It’s one of the worst things I’ve seen from Haaland.
‘Martin Odegaard flashes at times, but I have also seen him better. One point here is too bad.
‘There are no other teams in this group that will concede points to Kazakhstan.’
Luckily for Norway, their rivals in the third group of Nations League B also drew as Austria’s fixture against Slovenia ended 1-1.
Norway will be back in international action on September 9 when they take on Austria, who made it to the Round of 16 at Euro 2024.
The Norwegian men’s national team last qualified for a major tournament back in 1998, where they reached the last-16 of the FIFA World Cup in France.
Haaland’s blank against Kazakhstan was in stark contrast to how he started the season for City
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard was also criticised for his showing against Kazakhstan
Haaland will no doubt be eyeing up the Austria clash given he’s just two goals away from equaling Jorgen Juve as Norway’s all-time top goalscorer.
Juve scored 33 goals from 45 caps when he represented Norway from 1928 to 1937, while Haaland sits on 31 strikes from 34 games, scoring an average of 0.91 goals per game.
Haaland’s blank against Kazakhstan is in stark contrast to how he’s started the season for Manchester City.
The 24-year-old has a staggering seven goals to his name from just three matches having bagged hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United.
He also scored the opener in City’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in their first Premier League fixture of the season.