Austria put on a dominant display in their UEFA Nations League clash against Norway, securing a convincing 5-1 victory on Sunday. The match saw Marko Arnautovic bag a brace, while the usually prolific Erling Haaland was kept quiet by the Austrian defense.
The result leaves Norway narrowly ahead of Austria on goal difference at the top of Group B3. Slovenia, who also won their match against Kazakhstan 1-0, is also tied on seven points with the top two teams after four games.
Haaland, who recently became Norway’s all-time top scorer with a double against Slovenia, had a chance to break the deadlock early in the match but hit the post after just six minutes. However, it was Austria who took the lead in the 12th minute when Arnautovic unleashed a thunderous shot that found the back of the net.
Norway equalized in the 39th minute through Alexander Sorloth, but their joy was short-lived. Four minutes into the second half, Andreas Hanche-Olsen committed a costly error, diving into the path of Christian Baumgartner and conceding a penalty. Arnautovic stepped up and converted the penalty, sending the ball past Orjan Nyland.
From that point on, Norway crumbled. They conceded three soft headers within a span of 13 minutes. Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch, and Michael Gregoritsch, who had come on as a substitute, all added their names to the scoresheet to seal the victory for Austria.
The result will be a blow to Norway, who will be disappointed with their performance and the fact that they allowed Haaland to be so ineffective. Meanwhile, Austria will be thrilled with their dominant display and will be confident of challenging for the top spot in Group B3.