2 hours ago Long earlier kick-off, thousands of Norway supporters had gathered extracurricular the stadium, galore draped successful Viking helmets, waving elephantine reddish flags and singing songs that person go acquainted passim this World Cup.
There was excitement, naturally, but besides thing other - belief. A quiescent assurance that this squad could vie with anyone.
For years, Norway person watched large tournaments from afar contempt producing world-class talent.
This is lone their 4th World Cup quality - the archetypal since 1998. And the furthest they had gone earlier this twelvemonth were 2 last-16 finishes 50 years apart, successful 1938 and 1998.
They had not won a World Cup knockout necktie until past Tuesday. Now they person won 2 successful a enactment - the latest against the five-time winners and most-decorated broadside successful the tournament.
"I said to the boys that I don't deliberation it's 50-50, but we person a just accidental if we play astatine our champion and person match-winners, and we had that," Norway brag Solbakken said.
At full-time, it was Haaland who led the celebrations, banging the drum arsenic helium and his team-mates performed the iconic Viking Row with their supporters.
"This is conscionable an insane day," said Haaland. "It is 1 of the astir insane days successful Norwegian history."
Warnock said: "He is hugely affectional and rightly so. He plays successful 1 of the champion teams successful satellite football, successful presumption of clubs.
"But erstwhile you play for Norway they're not a immense name. Norway are starting to marque past for themselves, and helium is astatine the forefront of that."
Solbakken said: "The full federation is rowing together, and with that, I mean that we are having a large enactment present and successful Oslo and successful each the different large and tiny cities each the mode done Norway.
"The rowing is successful a mode a awesome of that, and that we are each together. So I deliberation it's large days, it's a large summertime to beryllium a instrumentality - I deliberation it's amended to beryllium a instrumentality than a coach."
The rowing has taken implicit the World Cup. And present Rooney volition person to enactment down the River Mersey aft promising helium would if Norway made the quarter-finals.
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