Strand Larsen's double sends Norway past Sweden in World Cup send-off
Norway closed out their final home game before the World Cup with a convincing 3-1 win over Sweden in Oslo, a Nordic derby that Jorgen Strand Larsen settled almost on his own. The Crystal Palace forward scored twice in the first half, and by the time Sweden found a reply through Alexander Isak, the contest was long gone.
Stale Solbakken handed extended rest to Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, holding both back as the rest of the squad played their last match on Norwegian soil before flying out to the United States. On this evidence, the depth behind the headline names is in decent shape.
Strand Larsen takes his chance
Larsen opened the scoring in the ninth minute, meeting a Julian Ryerson delivery from the right and glancing it into the far corner. Antonio Nusa made it two not long after, cutting in from the left and lashing a finish past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. The third arrived in the 37th minute and again carried Ryerson's fingerprints, the right-back swinging in a corner that Larsen attacked first to head home.
Ryerson finished with two assists and a hatful of chances created, the kind of attacking output from full-back that gives Solbakken something to think about ahead of the tournament. Norway's numbers told the story of a comfortable night: 22 shots to nine, and an expected-goals count that dwarfed their visitors.
Isak offers Sweden a consolation
Sweden improved after the break and got their goal late on, Isak collecting possession on the edge of the area and bending a dipping strike beyond the goalkeeper. It was a moment worthy of more than a consolation, and Sebastian Nanasi thought he had a second only to be flagged offside. Graham Potter's side will take the Isak finish into their preparations, but they were second best for most of the evening.
Both countries are heading to the World Cup, which gives a friendly like this more edge than the scoreline suggests. Sweden booked their place the hard way, surviving a playoff final against Poland that Viktor Gyokeres won in the closing minutes. They land in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
Norway end a long wait
For Norway, the tournament marks the end of a 28-year absence. They have not appeared at a World Cup since 1998, and they got back there in style, winning all eight of their qualifiers and putting four past Italy in Italy along the way. Haaland was the engine of that campaign with 16 goals, and the fact Norway can rest him and still brush Sweden aside speaks to how far this group has come.
The draw has not been kind. Norway share a group with France, Senegal and Iraq, so any deep run will have to go through France first. Solbakken has one more warm-up to fine-tune his side before the real business begins, and a night like this, with the goals shared around and the bench making its case, is exactly what he would have wanted from a send-off.
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