DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 23: Luciano Spalletti, head coach of Italy looks on during the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg Two match between Germany and Italy at Football Stadium Dortmund on March 23, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Italy had a truly disastrous start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, swept aside 3-0 by Norway by half-time and mustering no response in Oslo.
This was the first game in Group I for the Azzurri, which also has Israel, Estonia and Moldova, but Norway had already won both their matches. Injuries ruled out the likes of Moise Kean, Alessandro Buongiorno, Matteo Gabbia, Riccardo Calafiori and Giorgio Scalvini, while Francesco Acerbi refused the call-up. Verona defender Diego Coppola therefore made his senior Italy debut and Davide Zappacosta his first appearance since September 2018.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
It was a poor start, as Alessandro Bastoni’s cross-field pass was cut out by Antonio Nusa, who placed a smart through ball for Alexander Sorloth to spring the offside trap and squeeze the finish beneath the on-rushing Gianluigi Donnarumma from seven yards.
Giacomo Raspadori fired over from the tightest of angles, but Donnarumma had to make a one-handed save at the near post on Sorloth.
Norway doubled their lead with a fantastic goal from the lively Nusa, who cut inside past two from the left and smashed a ferocious finish into the roof of the net from the edge of the area.
It got worse on the stroke of half-time, Erling Haaland springing the offside trap on the Martin Odegaard through ball and sending Donnarumma to ground with a shimmy to deposit into the empty net. This was the first time in their history that Italy had conceded three goals in the first half of a World Cup qualifier.
Davide Frattesi came on for the restart and Odegaard generously threw himself in the way of a Destiny Udogie effort, but Sander Berge almost made it 4-0 on 66 minutes with a sweeping shot from outside the area that smacked against the far post.
Italy never managed a single genuine shot on target, as the Norwegian goalkeeper was left entirely undisturbed until an easy save on Lorenzo Lucca’s header in stoppages from a Riccardo Orsolini cross.
Norway 3-0 Italy
Sorloth 14 (N), Nusa 34 (N), Haaland 42 (N)
1
5
75′ 14
3
17
71′ 10
2
46′ 8
7
83′ 20
75′ 9
1
21
2
71′ 19
83′ 14
22
18
14
46′ 8
10
83′ 9
71′ 19
20
13
12
15
23
18
6
46′ 4
71′ 16
75′ 22
75′ 11
83′ 20
19
12
19
6
23
23
16
46′ 7
71′ 17
71′ 28
83′ 3
83′
