The Estonian men's national football team went down 1–0 at home against Norway in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I qualifier on a rainy Monday night at the A. Le Coq Arena, despite putting in a spirited performance and nearly equalizing.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland scored the winner and sole goal of the game, which kicked off at 9.45 p.m.
Norway came into the match with three consecutive wins and a goal difference of 12:2, including a 3–0 win over four-time world champions Italy just three days earlier, a loss which cost Luciano Spalletti his job as Italy manager.
As well as Haaland, the Norwegians brought Arsenal playmaker Martin Ødegaard and Atlético Madrid marksman Alexander Sörloth. A total of six players on Norway's squad play in the English Premier League, plus three in Germany's Bundesliga.
Estonia meanwhile took one win and two losses from their first three matches and lay in joint second place with Israel, their last opponents at home on Friday night.
Israel came from behind that time to win 2–1, while manager Jürgen Henn has been facing injury issues, particularly affecting his defenders.
The first half-hour of Monday's Estonian-Norway match didn't bring many threatening chances, but in the 33rd minute Sörloth crossed from the right wing and Morten Thorsby got a header off, though the ball missed the far post.
Near the end of the half, Estonia faced two more tests. First, midfielder Sander Berge (Fulham) got off a long-range shot that just missed the post. Right before halftime, the Norwegians launched a quick attack ending with a Haaland shot, but Estonian 'keeper Karl Jakob Hein made the save.
Just after the halftime break, Haaland managed a header, but it struck the post, while in the 54th minute, it was the Norwegians' turn to hear their crossbar rattling as Vlasi Sinyavskiy fired from near the edge of the box.
Finally in the 62nd minute, Norway took the lead, as Ødegaard and Haaland created a two-on-one chance, and while Estonian center-back Maksim Paskotsi (Grasshoppers) managed to challenge Haaland's shot, the ball deflected off the crossbar. The Manchester City striker reached the rebound first and slotted the ball into the net.
However in the 73rd minute, Estonia nearly equalized as Paskotsi took a long shot, the ball deflected off striker Rauno Sappinen's shoulder and hit the post, leaving the Norwegian goalkeeper merely a bystander.
Estonia got one more chance during stoppage time, but after an aerial duel, the ball flew over the goal.
The game can be rewatched in full by clicking the video player below.
In the other match of the same qualifying group Monday night, Italy beat Moldova at home 2–0, ironically since it was Spalletti's last game in charge.
These results punt Estonia down to fourth place on three points, with Norway the clear Group I leaders with 12 points from four matches. Israel are second, with six points after three games, Italy next with three points, just ahead of Estonia on goal difference, though the Italians have only played two matches. Moldova lie firmly rooted to the bottom of the group with zero points after three games.
The next qualifier for Estonia will be another tough one, away to Italy, in September.
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