Norway thrashed Italy 3-0 in Oslo, leaving Spalletti on the brink of victory ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The Norwegian national team, led by an inspired Erling Haaland , crushed Italy with an unappealable 3-0 victory in Oslo on Friday, in a match corresponding to the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup.

The Scandinavian team put on a memorable performance against an unrecognizable Italy , which has now gone four matches without a win and whose project under Luciano Spalletti is once again in dangerous jeopardy.

Italy, which did not attend either Russia 2018 or Qatar 2022 , is obliged to qualify for the next World Cup , but its start in this European qualifying round has been one to forget: defeats against France and Germany, a draw against the Germans, and now this painful fall against Norway that leaves the team without direction or confidence.

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From the first minute, the home side dominated. Norway displayed intensity, tactical aggression, and offensive clarity, against a disengaged Italy, lacking in any variation, and completely outclassed on all fronts.

The score, although large, still fell short in the face of Italian passivity and Norwegian ambition.

The first big warning came in the 14th minute, when Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth opened the scoring after a mistake by Bastoni coming off the pitch. The Italian defender misfired on a long pass, Nusa took advantage to launch his teammate into space, and Sorloth made no mistake with an unstoppable left-footed shot.

The second goal was even more devastating, not only in the result but in the way it was played. Antonio Nusa again took center stage with a dazzling individual performance: he left Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Coppola on the ground with a pair of precise cuts and fired home a powerful shot to make it 2-0 in the 34th minute, while the Italian defense watched helplessly.

The first half still had time for one more dagger. Just before the break, Erling Haaland appeared to seal Italy's nightmare.

He took advantage of a new defensive breakdown, got behind with a lethal run, and finished with his left foot to make it 3-0 in the 44th minute. It was his only goal of the match, but his influence was constant: he dragged down markers, created space, and led the attacking front with authority.

Italy failed to muster a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes. Spalletti's team looked lifeless, lacking in reaction time and ideas to try and turn the game around.

In the second half, although the Norwegians slowed down, their dominance remained. In fact, the post prevented a fourth goal after another attempt by Sorloth, which would have been even more humiliating for the four-time world champions.

With this victory, Norway takes the lead in the group with three wins in a row, while Italy is in a critical position, far from the direct qualification spots and with pressure mounting on Spalletti, who has failed to turn things around.

The specter of a third consecutive World Cup absence looms again for the Azzurri , who will have to react immediately if they don't want to write another black page in their recent history.

With information from EFE