Next up for Scotland: Georgia at Hampden on Tuesday night. I’ll leave you with Jamie Jackson’s match report. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight.
The captain Andy Robertson, who was superb at both ends of the pitch, speaks
We’ve got a really excited changing room. It’s the hottest conditions we’ve played in for a long time – the heat was incredible – so we knew our bench would come into play. The lads who came on did so well.
We went into camp last week. It was tough work to be fair! Boys finished at different times of the season, so it was trying to get the balance right between fitness and freshness. Then we got the weekend off, came back this week and we’ve just been preparing for this game. I think we prepared pretty perfectly.
The big thing is that we didn’t panic when we went 1-0 down. They probably dropped off a bit which played to our advantage. We started getting on the ball. We brought on wee Billy [Gilmour], who’s been magnificent in the last 6-8 weeks for Brighton. In training he’s been so good this week, and then he brought it on the pitch. Kenny comes on and scores such a vital goal. That’s what it’s so important we’ve got the whole squad.
When we scored one, I just had a feeling we might get another one. It happened so quick. The team spirit is second to none, it’s so good. To create that in international football is quite unique, but we’ve got it. We always socialise, we always try and do things together as a country, and I think you can see that on the field.
We’ve got a massive country. We couldn’t have started this campaign much better, but we have to use it to our advantage. We have to qualify now.
“If Scotland received an ‘intravenous hit of belief’,” says Ian Copestake, “then Norway have been left outside A&E while Perfect Day plays.”
Haha. Imagine Haaland as Renton, when Pep leaves him out of a League Cup game at home to Gillingham. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Pep, I really do…”
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“I admit, I let out a long, weary sigh when I saw McLean coming on,” says James Humphries. “Guess that’s why I’m not an international football coach, eh?”
Sometimes, humble pie tastes more delicious than anything in the world. Even lutefisk.
The champagne moments
LYNDON DYKES! 🏴🔥
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 17, 2023
The @QPR man pokes the ball into the net for the equaliser against Norway 👏#EURO2024 | #NORSCO | @ScotlandNT pic.twitter.com/BzHPecHmAh
SCOTLAND HAVE DONE IT! 🏴
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 17, 2023
Two goals in three minutes and Kenny McLean has scored what could be a historic winner 😱😱#EURO2024 | #NORSCO | @ScotlandNT pic.twitter.com/WxVYhC2x8V
“Wow,” says Simon McMahon. “That’s a helluva win for Scotland, Rob. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat is not normally the Scottish way of doing things. Quite the opposite, in fact. Would seem harder now not to qualify, though if any team can… Ach, stop it. Football, eh? Bloody hell.”
Martin Odegaard is disconsolate; all the Norway players are. They’ve been mugged in their own home. Norway dominated the game throughout, albeit without creating too many clear chances, and took the lead through a penalty from the inevitable Erling Haaland. Then they took Haaland off in the 84th minute, and it all went wrong, big time.
Lyndon Dykes pilfered an equaliser after a defensive mix-up, then Kenny McLean scored a delightful goal to give Scotland an unbelievable victory. There’s work to do, and Scotland fans will never assume, but this has been an unimaginably good start to the qualification. They’ve beaten Cyprus, Spain and now Norway, which puts them eight points clear of Norway in the (theoretical) race for second.
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Full time: Norway 1-2 Scotland
Three games, nine points: Scotland are closing in on a place at Euro 2024, already.
90+5 min Ryerson’s cross is cut out by the stretching Robertson. Norway come again…
90+4 min Talk about seizing the moment. Scotland were poor going forward for 87 minutes, and that’s being kind, but the unexpected equaliser gave them an intravenous hit of belief and they charged forward in pursuit of a winner.
90+3 min Free-kick to Norway 30 yards from goal. Odegaard tries to play it out to the left-back Meling – and overhits it for a goalkick! Blimey.
90 min There will be six minutes of added time. John McGinn is replaced by the debutant Dominic Hyam.
A reminder that Norway took Erling Haaland off at 1-0.
This is spine-tingling stuff! Kenny McLean has given Scotland the lead with a marvellous team goal! McTominay, on the right, arrowed a long cross towards McGinn on the far side of the area. McGinn reversed it instantly to Dyche, who laid it off carefully to the onrushing McLean. He opened his body to slide an almost nonchalant right-footed curler through the crowd of defenders. It shimmered all along the ground and into the far corner; Nyland had no chance.
Two first-time passes and then an immaculate first-time finish. What a brilliant goal!
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GOAL! Norway 1-2 Scotland (McLean 89)
I can’t spake!!!!
That came out of nothing. McGinn’s through pass towards McLean was cut out well on the edge of the area by Ostigard, but then all the Norway defenders left the loose ball to each other. That allowed Dykes, always on the lookout for scraps, to galumph into the area and flick the ball slowly, beautifully past the outrushing Nyland.
Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA
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GOAL! Norway 1-1 Scotland (Dykes 87)
A huge goal for Scotland!
86 min Steve Clarke is unhappy that Ryerson isn’t booked for pulling back McGinn and stalling a Scotland break. He’s probably got a point.
85 min Odegaard turns majestically in the area and hits a right-footed stinger that is blocked by Hendry.
84 min: Triple substitution for Norway Jorgen Larsen, Mats Moller Daehli and Kristian Thorstvedt (son of Erik) replace Patrick Berg, Fredrik Aursnes and Erling Haaland. Why would you take him off? I didn’t realise Ben Stokes was Norway manager.
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82 min Haaland deliberately flattens Hickey and is a bit fortunate not to be booked.
79 min: Norway substitution Mohamed Elyounoussi comes on for Alexander Sorloth.
78 min: Scotland substitutions x3 Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean and Stuart Armstrong replace Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie and Ryan Porteous.
76 min Robertson is back on and seems okay. But Scotland don’t look like scoring I’m afraid. Their only shot on target was by McGinn just after half-time.
74 min In fact Robertson was caught on his left achilles by Sorloth as they competed for a loose ball. He’s still being treated.
73 min Andy Robertson is down, which is an obvious worry for Scotland. It looks like an ankle problem.
70 min: Chance for Norway! Aursnes’s inswinging corner is headed across goal and wide by Berge, eight yards out. He was moving slightly away from goal but it was still a really good opportunity.
70 min Sorloth cuts inside from the right, just outside the area, and hits a curling shot that nicks off Cooper’s shoulder and flies this far wide of the far post.
69 min “Your update about the boiling and roasting weather made me dust off my copy of the Gilberto Gil album O Sol de Oslo (The Sun of Oslo),” writes Peter Oh. “It’s now soundtracking your blog here under the warming morning sun of Northern California.
“I hope the Scotland players have applied plenty of sunblock with a high HPF – Haaland Protection Factor.”
68 min Scotland have had loads more possession since Haaland’s goal, such is human nature. For now it’s all in front of the Norway defence.
Erling Haaland makes the difference for the opening goal 🇳🇴
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 17, 2023
Ryan Porteous brings down the @ManCity striker to give away the penalty, and he makes no mistake from there 💥#EURO2024 | #NORSCO pic.twitter.com/rXtgtRoK9k
67 min Hickey seems to be fouled 25 yards out in a central position, but the referee isn’t interested. He hasn’t had a great game.
66 min Haaland leads a dangerous break and finds Odegaard. His lofted return is well read by Robertson, who calmly heads back to Gunn.
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65 min: Scotland substitution Liam Cooper for Kieran Tierney, which must be due to injury.
63 min: Norway substitution Sander Berge replaces Ola Solbakken, which suggests a slight stiffening of the midfield. Solbakken looks a good player.
GOAL! Norway 1-0 Scotland (Haaland 61 pen)
Haaland scores! Gunn went the right way, to his right, but Haaland arrowed a low shot into the corner. Excellent penalty.
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Solbakken beat Robertson and stood up a fine cross to the far post. Haaland got the wrong side of Porteous and then fell over in a heap. I couldn’t be 100 per cent sure, and Porteous had a handful of his shirt, but it looked as if Haaland made the most of it that time. I suppose that’s his right given what happened a few minutes ago. Porteous wags his finger at the referee, but VAR won’t overturn this because of the shirt pull. He’s booked.
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60 min: Penalty to Norway! He’s given in this time!
58 min Great play from Robertson, who knocks the ball one side of Ryerson and runs round the other. He moves to the left edge of the six-yard box and slides a low cross that is vitally cut out by Sandberg
57 min Actually, one of the Norway players who didn’t appeal for a penalty was Haaland. Had he stayed down, it would probably have been a penalty and a second yellow for Hendry.
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56 min: Norway penalty appeal! Haaland zips past Hendry just inside the area, and Hendry desperately tries to drag him back. Haaland goes down on one knee – but then gets straight to his feet and the attack peters out. The referee actually signalled an advantage even though the incident was in the penalty area. VAR aren’t interested.
Hmm, I don’t know what to make of that. It wasn’t a clearcut penalty, but the referee definitely signalled an advantage.
55 min A reminder that a draw would be a very good result for Scotland, and a pretty bad one for Norway. This is how Group A looks as things stand.
53 min Tierney is booked for a foul on Ryerson, though he thought he won the ball fairly. Even if he didn’t, a yellow card is harsh.
52 min “To Jorn Iver Berg, thank you for the warm Norwegian welcome and the primer on Norwegian football,” writes Mary Waltz. “My Norwegian family mame is Horn so who knows, go back far enough in the family tables and we could be distant cousins.
“I recognise the possibility that the Lutefisk I consumed was not properly prepared but the memory of that bowl of jellied cod produced such culinary trauma that it will never happen again. Plus anything that uses lye in the recipe is a non-starter.”
51 min Ostigard stoops to head Odegaard’s free-kick wide from 14 yards. No matter, he and about four other Norway players were offside.
51 min “I’m afraid I must object, Rob, in the weakest possible terms, to the clear pro-Norwegian bias of this MBM,” says Simon McMahon. “I fully expect that Bjorge Lillenlien will be emailing in at full time after Norway’s 2-1 win to remind us that the Scots took a hell of a beating…”
50 min Nothing comes of the corner.
49 min A good touch from Dykes releases Christie, who wins a corner.
48 min Apologies, we’ve been having a few technical problems. McGinn has just hit a crisp drive from 25 yards that was saved by Nyland at the second attempt. It was straight at the keeper but bounced awkwardly in front.
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46 min Peep peep!
Half time: Norway 0-0 Scotland
A half of few chances in Oslo. There was only one shot on target, a header that Alexander Sorloth planted straight at Angus Gunn. Erling Haaland was peripheral, though he looked set to charge through on goal from the halfway like when he was brought down by the last man Jack Hendry. He was booked; some referees would have upgraded it to a red card. I suppose there was just enough doubt, even with Haaland, as to whether it was a clear goalscoring opportunity.
45+1 min Robertson, who has probably been Scotland’s best attacker, beats Ryerson and curls a good cross towards Dykes at the near post. Ostigard gets in front of him to head away.
45+1 min One minute of added time. Porteous screams at Solbakken to get up after a strong challenge in midfield.
45 min “Dear Mary (on 8 minutes),” begins Jørn Ivar Berg. “You chose wisely. Norway is the team for you. Whether it will give you any joy, though, remains to be seen. We are very good at almost making it to the World Cup or the Euros. With two of the very best players in the premier league on our team (Haaland and Ødegaard) you may think that winning games would be easy, but here we are desperately seeking our first win of this campaign. You may wonder how bad the other nine players could be?
“By the way, the price for the most foul-tasting fish goes to the Swedes. Surströmming is nasty stuff as you can see from this video. Lutefisk is actually quite good if you prepare it right and put plenty of bacon on it :)”
44 min Steve Clarke will be unhappy about Scotland’s performance with the ball. But without it – and that is the most important part while the score is 0-0 – they’ve generally been excellent. Norway have dominated without really testing Angus Gunn, which is usually a sign of a good defensive performance.
41 min Hendry is booked for dragging down Haaland, who was trying to run onto a lobbed pass from Odegaard. The Norway players wanted a red card. Hendry was certainly the last man, but he was on the halfway line, so you can argue both ways whether it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. Given the pace of Haaland, I think it was.
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39 min “So,” says Andrew Norton. “What do you think? Are the Norwegian players awful, apart from Haaland and the Arsenal fella? Isn’t it a case of defend in numbers and give to Odegaard who gives it to Haaland?”
Well, they have players at Napoli, Roma, Dortmund, Benfica, Feyenoord, Sociedad and Leipzig, so I’m not sure they’re a two-man team. But those are the stars, NQAT.
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38 min McGinn is booked for a gratuitous foul on Odegaard. There wasn’t much in it, but it was deliberate so you can understand why the ref booked him.
36 min See 17 min.
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35 min: Chance for Scotland! Christie angles a cross towards Robertson beyond the far post. Ryerson heads it away but only as far as McGinn, whose snapshot from 10 yards is crucially blocked by Strandberg. Fine defending.
33 min Robertson puts in a really good cross from the left, but Dykes in on his heels and Christie arrives too late in the area.
32 min Odegaard’s crisp long-range shot is well blocked by Porteous. He is so dangerous from 20-25 yards, such is the precision of … well, everything he does, but particularly his shooting.
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31 min The commentator Rory Hamilton points out that there hasn’t been a water break, which is a bit of a surprise. Apparently the threshold is 33 degrees, and today it was only 32 at kick off.
29 min The pressure is building on Scotland. Odegaard feeds a short pass into Haaland in the area. He stumbles past Hendry but not McGregor, who half clears. Norway keep the ball alive and Sorloth heads over from a very tight angle.
25 min Odegaard’s corner is confidently taken by Gunn.
24 min Tierney does well to stay with Sorloth and concede a corner. It’s a lively enough game despite the heat, with Napoli’s Leo Ostigard in particular looking for a row at every opportunity.
23 min Robertson roars down the left, past Ryerson, and cuts the ball back towards Christie at the near post. He tries to spin round Strandberg with his first touch, a neat idea but one with absolutely no margin for error. It’s slightly too heavy and runs through to Nyland.
22 min A couple of corners in quick succession for Scotland, which gets the Tartan Army going. Nothing comes of either but that was a bit more encouraging.
20 min “Love McQueen’s ‘celebration’ after his goal in Oslo,” says Simon McMahon. “Firm handshake with a couple of teammates, brisk jog back and then restart the game. A different era indeed. And not just for celebrations. His 30 caps would be worth twice as many today.”
Funny you should say that. I’ve recently been doing some emergency podcasts looking back at Euro 88, and we made exactly the same point about a number of players in that tournament. For example Igor Belanov, Ballon d’Or winner, played 33 times for the USSR.
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19 min Norway appeal for handball in the area when the ball hits Porteous’s arm. It deflected onto his arm, which was in a natural position, so VAR aren’t interested. That handball law needs to be changed urgently; England’s second penalty last night was another shocker.
18 min Meling’s overhit cross turns into a decent pass for his fellow full-back Ryerson. He crashes a volley that is blocked in the six-yard box, then Odegaard takes too long to get a shot away on the edge of the area.
17 min Since you asked, Haaland has barely touched the ball. I’ll let you decide whether that’s an ominous sign for Scotland or a really ominous sign.
16 min Scotland are still struggling to keep the ball. As I type that, a TV graphic informs me that Norway have had 70 per cent of the possession so far.
13 min: Chance for Norway! Solbakken beats Hickey stylishly on the left and stands up an inviting cross. It’s met by the towering Sorloth, who heads straight at Gunn from 10 yards. That was an excellent chance.
10 min There’s a fine atmosphere in Oslo, with both sets of suppoters making a handy racket. Scotland haven’t got going yet in attack, though they have been fine defensively.
9 min Odegaard releases Ryerson, an enthusiastic attacker from right-back. He teases Robertson and lifts a cross that beats everyone in the middle. All the Norway players, Beast included, had made near-post runs.
8 min “Greetings Rob,” says Mary Waltz. “Being on this west side of the cold Atlantic pond, how does one decide who to root for in the Euros? Well, my Mom was 100% Norwegian and my Dad’s grandparents were famine refugees from Ireland so I flipped a coin and Norwegian it is. I will wave the red and blue flag but I will not eat lutefisk, the most foul-tasting fish ever!”
Given events in Greece last night, you may have chosen well. That was such a disappointment.
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6 min Ryerson beats Robertson to a huge punt from the goalkeeper Nyland. Robertson recovers well and Ryerson runs the ball out for a goalkick.
5 min See 3 min. Nothing much is happening.
3 min It’s been a fairly slow start to the game, with lots of Norway possession in the middle third.
2 min Gunn is quickly off his line to beat Sorloth to a long, straight pass through the inside-right channel.
2 min Incidentally the other game in this group, Cyprus v Georgia, is being played tonight.
1 min Peep peep! Norway, in their red strip, kick off from right to left as we watch. Scotland are wearing their white change kit. It is roasting in Oslo.
The travelling @ScotlandNT fans belt out Flower of Scotland! 👏🏴
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 17, 2023
What a game this should be 🤩#EURO2024 | #NORSCO pic.twitter.com/FUb9GbhUGc
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The Scotland players will wear black armbands in honour of the mighty Gordon McQueen, who died on Thursday.
McQueen actually scored the last of his five international goals in a European Championship qualifier in Oslo.
Steve Clarke’s pre-match thoughts
Norway will give us different problems to Cyprus and Spain, but hopefully we can produce a good performance and get more points to add to the total. Haaland’s had a wonderful season. It’s up to us to limit his chances, and hopefully he has an off night.
[On Jack Hendry’s inclusion] He’s got good experience, as does Liam Cooper on the bench. It shows what we’ve been trying to build. We’re trying to get better and give more depth to the squad. For me, the next stage of improvement is to start picking up points in the big games away for home.
[On the heat] It might affect the pace of the game, though I don’t think it’ll affect the pace of the game at the start. Hopefully there will ll be a water break. That’s really all you can do – take on more fluids and keep running.
Pre-match optimism
“I’d take a draw right now, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “But that’s only because I know we’re going to lose. Scotland just don’t do straightforward qualifications, which is what a win in Oslo would mean. So it ain’t happening. And you can take that to the bank.”
That’s the thing – if they do win today, they will be in a glorious position: eight points ahead of their main rivals for the second qualification place with five games to go. Here’s the group table as things stand.
Norway v Scotland isn’t often played in 33-degree temperatures, but it’s boiling in Oslo tonight. Not sure how that will affect the game.
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Scotland’s last trip to Oslo, a World Cup qualifier 14 years ago, was one to forget.
A bit of pre-match reading
In the building 🏟️#NORSCO pic.twitter.com/adlFLRgxs5
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 17, 2023
Team news: Haaland starts
Steve Clarke makes one enforced change from the win over Spain: Jack Hendry replaces the injured Grant Hanley in defence.
Erling Haaland starts for Norway, seven days after completing the Treble with Manchester City. This is his first game in the group; he missed the matches against Spain and Georgia in March with a groin injury.
Haaland replaces Mohamed Elyounoussi in one of two changes from the draw against Georgia. Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson is in for Marcus Holmgren Pedersen at right-back.
Norway (4-3-3) Nyland; Ryerson, Strandberg, Ostigard, Meling; Odegaard, Berg, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Solbakken.
Substitutes: Dyngeland, Selvik, Gregersen, Wembangomo, Vetlesen, Berge, Elyounoussi, Thorstvedt, Daehli, Finne, Larsen.
Scotland (3-4-2-1) Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Tierney; Hickey, McTominay, McGregor, Robertson; Christie, McGinn; Dykes.
Substitutes: Kelly, Clark, Hyam, Shankland, Gilmour, Cooper, Armstrong, Ferguson, Nisbet, Jack, Taylor, McLean.
Referee Matej Jug (Slovenia).
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the European Championship qualifier between Norway and Scotland in Oslo. It’s the clash of two of the world’s great goalscorers: Erling Braut Haaland and Scott Francis McTominay.
When the group got under way in March, McTominay was in Boy’s Own form. He scored four times – more than any other team in the group, never mind any other player – including both goals in the stirring victory over Spain.
It’s not easy to keep track of qualification these days, because there are different routes to tournaments. But Scotland are in a very good place, and a draw today would be an excellent result. Norway, by contrast, really need a win after a poor start to their Group A campaign. Losing in Spain was a par result; drawing in Georgia was not.
Kick off 5pm BST, 6pm in Oslo.
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