Haaland strikes twice as 10-man Norway edge Denmark in five-goal Nations League thriller

Erling Haaland once again took centre stage on the international stage, scoring a decisive brace as Norway edged fierce rivals Denmark 3-2 in a breathless Nations League opener, despite finishing the match with 10 men.

Erling Haaland celebrating a goal for Norway

Stale Solbakken's side flew out of the traps and took the lead after just 14 minutes through a sublime Premier League connection. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard unlocked the Danish defence with a deft pass to Oscar Bobb, who stepped inside Oliver Provstgaard before curling a fine strike into the far corner.

Norway doubled their advantage only four minutes later. Antonio Nusa embarked on a sharp inward run before slipping a clever reverse ball through the lines to Haaland, whose powerful drive squeezed straight past Danish goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

Denmark mounted a spirited response to claw their way back into the contest. Mikkel Damsgaard halved the deficit in the 25th minute with a stunning dipping free-kick over the wall that beat Orjan Nyland. Jorgensen then pulled off an acrobatic reflex stop to deny Patrick Berg shortly before the interval, keeping the visitors within touching distance.

The Danes were rewarded on the hour mark when Rasmus Hojlund reacted quickest inside the box, nodding into the net after Nyland parried Morten Hjulmand's downward header from a corner.

However, Haaland had the final word. A cleverly worked short corner saw Nusa find Odegaard, who reached the byline and cut the ball back for the Manchester City forward to smash an emphatic finish inside the near post.

Norway had to navigate a tense finale after left-back David Moller Wolfe was shown a second yellow card three minutes into stoppage time for halting Gustav Isaksen's run, but the hosts held firm to secure all three points.

The Manchester City talisman has now scored in each of his last six matches across all competitions, netting nine goals in that span and extending his remarkable run to 16 goals in his last 13 outings for club and country.