Erling Haaland was involved in a furious clash with Italy defender Gianluca Mancini during Norway's 4-1 win in Milan on Monday night with Gianluigi Donnarumma having to hold him back
Erling Haaland had to be held back after confronting Gianluca Mancini
Erling Haaland had to be held back after confronting Gianluca Mancini
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Erling Haaland has alleged that Italy's Gianluca Mancini repeatedly touched his bottom during Norway's victory over the Azzurri - but it ultimately spurred on the Manchester City striker as Norway booked their World Cup spot in commanding style.
Haaland netted twice as Norway scored four times to complete a flawless qualifying campaign, triumphing in all eight matches, though the encounter wasn't without controversy which saw Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Haaland's City team-mate, forced to restrain him.
Mancini was evidently attempting to wind up Haaland and continued to grab the forward, which irritated the Norwegian. He eventually challenged his rival with heated words exchanged between the duo as Haaland revealed details of the confrontation.
Haaland revealed to TV2: "At 1-1 he started to touch my ass, and I thought 'what are you doing?' Then I got a little fired up and said to him, 'Thank you so much for the motivation, let's f****** have it'."
The City goalscorer would go on to find the net twice within two minutes to seal victory against Italy. The match remained level at 1-1 with quarter of an hour remaining before Haaland maintained his exceptional scoring form.
Wolves forward Jorgen Strand Larsen wrapped up the rout at the San Siro with a fourth goal in the 93rd minute. Haaland said: "It's probably the sickest result. The fact that we come here and win 4-1 is absolutely sick, and it shows that we are a bit unpredictable. It's pretty good for everyone to know."
Norway will progress to their first World Cup since 1998 - before Haaland was even born. Haaland has now found the net in 11 consecutive World Cup qualifiers stretching back to 2021.
The Norwegian helped his country make a first World Cup in 28 years
The Norwegian helped his country make a first World Cup in 28 years
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The Norwegians travelled to Italy aware that only an extremely unlikely nine-goal turnaround could prevent them from securing the automatic qualification spot and accomplished their mission in Italy.
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