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| Norway national team celebrating after goal |
On a cold night in Milan, where the legendary San Siro stadium was set for a near-impossible mission, Italy's dreams turned to ash. The reigning European Champions, Italy, were devastatingly struck down on their home turf by Norway, losing 4-1 in a scene hauntingly reminiscent of past nightmares, confirming that the World Cup qualification curse still clings to the Azzurri.
The European qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup concluded with a dramatic final round. Italy entered the match knowing their hopes for direct qualification were hanging by a thread thinner than impossible: a victory by a 9-goal margin. This wasn't a sporting challenge; it was a demand for a miracle.
And yet, Italy began the match with the spirit of a warrior who refuses to concede defeat before the battle has even begun.
The Ghost of Hope in a "Blue" First Half
The Italian manager fielded an attacking lineup, and the Azzurri looked determined to give their fans an honorable farewell. Only a few minutes passed before Italian dominance became clear. In the seventh minute, Giovanni Di Lorenzo burst down the right flank and sent in a perfect cross. The clearance fell to Federico Dimarco on the left, who unleashed a stunning volley that agonizingly flew just wide of the post.
This was merely the prelude. In the 11th minute, the San Siro stands erupted in joy. In what was the most beautiful collective move of the match, the ball was passed fluidly from right to left, where Dimarco cleverly slipped it to the young striker, Francesco Pio Esposito. The young man, carrying the hopes of the Italian attack, received the ball, spun brilliantly around his defender, and slotted a cunning low shot between the Norwegian goalkeeper's legs.
It was a goal brimming with skill and hope. A goal that, for one fleeting minute, made the impossible seem possible.
After the goal, Italy asserted near-total hegemony. The Norwegian team completely vanished, content to shrink into their defensive shell. Erling Haaland, the goal machine, looked isolated and frustrated, brilliantly marshaled by Gianluca Mancini, who successfully neutralized his threat—so much so that Haaland began committing obvious fouls out of sheer frustration.
In the 36th minute, the Azzurri nearly doubled their lead. Another precise cross from Dimarco found the head of Esposito, who rose and directed it skillfully, but this time the ball drifted just past the post. Meanwhile, Esposito was brought down in the box, appealing for a penalty after a clear shirt pull, but the referee waved play on.
The first half ended with a deserved 1-0 Italian lead, a performance that inspired pride, but also sorrow; the mission of scoring eight more goals remained a distant fantasy.
The Collapse: When the Nightmares of 2017 and 2022 Return
The second half began as the first had ended, with Italian pressure. Manuel Locatelli threatened the goal with a powerful shot, but the keeper was well-placed. But something was about to change.
The Norwegian team, which finished the qualifiers with a perfect record (24 points from 8 wins), did not come to Milan as tourists. In the 48th minute, the first signs of Norwegian danger appeared via Sørloth, and then, the talent of Antonio Nusa emerged.
In the 63rd minute, the moment that broke the Azzurri's back arrived. Nusa, the young Norwegian jewel, cut in from the left, drifted in front of the penalty area, skillfully bypassed Politano, and then unleashed an unstoppable missile that found the top corner of Gianluigi Donnarumma's net.
This equalizer was not just a goal; it was the psychological end of the match. Suddenly, and completely inexplicably, the Italian team imploded. The team retreated, lost control, and showed visible signs of fear and confusion.
This retreat brought back the ghost of this very same San Siro in 2017, when Italy failed to score against Sweden and missed the 2018 World Cup. It brought back the specter of the shocking loss to North Macedonia that barred them from the 2022 World Cup. It is the curse of the playoffs, a psychological fragility that has become a hallmark of this team.
Two Minutes for Haaland... An Eternity of Pain for Italy
When a team breaks, the executioner appears. Erling Haaland had been quiet for 77 minutes, but he only needed two to end the match and turn it into a massacre.
In the 78th minute, Nusa exploited the Italian retreat, feeding a cross to Oscar Bobb, who set up Haaland. With Bastoni and Dimarco nowhere to be seen, the Norwegian "robot" collected the ball and fired it directly into the net.
Before the Italian players could even process the shock, the knockout blow landed. In the 79th minute, less than 60 seconds later, Bastoni made a fatal error in passing. Nusa intercepted the ball, passed it to Thorsby, who found Haaland all alone in front of the goal. Haaland does not miss those. 3-1.
Two minutes were all Haaland needed to turn the San Siro into a funeral procession.
Politano tried to reduce the deficit with a curling shot that nearly grazed the post, but the spirit was already broken. And in the 90+3rd minute, substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen added to the Italians' torment, coolly dribbling past Mancini and slotting the ball into the net with composure, scoring the fourth goal.
The End of the Road: Norway to the World Cup... Italy to the Unknown
Norway finishes the qualifiers with a perfect, unblemished record, qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, announcing the arrival of a golden generation capable of competing.
As for Italy, finishing second with 18 points, they find themselves for the third consecutive time in the nightmare of the European playoffs. After the failures of 2018 and 2022, the Azzurri must navigate a complex playoff bracket next March. This is not just a 4-1 defeat; it is an identity crisis, a deep wound in the pride of a footballing nation, and proof that the Euro 2020 victory was perhaps a beautiful exception amid years of continuous suffering.