Erling Haaland, the prolific Manchester City striker, was surprisingly held scoreless in Norway’s 0-0 draw against Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League on Friday. Kazakhstan’s yellow-clad defenders employed a tight 5-4-1 formation to effectively neutralize Haaland throughout the match. The strategy proved successful, as the Norwegian striker failed to find the back of the net despite registering four shots. This marked Haaland’s first scoreless outing in nearly a month, since Manchester City’s Community Shield victory over Manchester United on August 10th.
Despite Haaland’s struggles, Norway dominated possession, holding 65% of the ball and launching 19 shots compared to Kazakhstan’s four. Haaland, who has been a prolific scorer in the Nations League, entering the match as the joint top scorer in the past two editions with six goals each, still holds the record for most goals scored for Norway with 31 goals in 34 matches. He is just two goals away from equaling Jørgen Juve’s national record of 33 goals.
Meanwhile, other Nations League matches produced a mix of results. Belgium secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Israel, thanks to a brace from Kevin De Bruyne. Wales and Turkey played out a goalless draw, with Turkey playing the final half hour with ten men after Baris Alper Yilmaz received a red card. The match marked the debut of former Wales captain Craig Bellamy as the country’s new head coach. Iceland enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Montenegro, while Romania defeated Kosovo 3-0. Cyprus also triumphed over Lithuania with a 1-0 scoreline.
The UEFA Nations League group stages are crucial, not only for determining the tournament’s winners but also for seeding in the upcoming qualifying groups for the 2026 World Cup. The draw for these qualifying groups is scheduled to take place in Zurich in December, with seedings based on FIFA world rankings updated in November following the conclusion of the Nations League group play.
