Norway had lit up Cardiff inside 11 minutes, Oscar Bobb finishing a sharp move started by Martin Odegaard, but the Welsh night turned against Erling Haaland’s side after the interval as they fell 2-1 in Nations League Group 4.
Bobb was sent through by his captain after a well-worked combination and made the early advantage count, giving Norway the kind of start they needed following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
Wales settled after the setback and began to find space down the right through Sorba Thomas. His low delivery towards Daniel James was first cut out at the last moment by David Moller Wolfe in the 17th minute, but Norway did not escape a second time. A poor attempt to play out from the back led to another Thomas cross shortly before half-time, with James arriving to turn the ball home for 1-1 in the 38th minute.
Red card changes the game
The decisive moment came almost immediately after the restart. Torbjorn Heggem, left as Norway’s last defender, brought down James in the 46th minute and was shown a straight red card. Wales quickly made their numerical advantage tell: Neco Williams struck from the resulting free-kick two minutes later to put the hosts ahead.
Reduced to 10 men, Norway still tried to force a late response, but Wales protected their lead. Jorgen Larsen came closest in the 88th minute, his long-range effort passing narrowly wide of the Welsh top corner.
The score remained 2-1, leaving Norway with a second defeat from their opening three Group 4 fixtures. They have three points, the same total as Wales, after a night that began with Bobb’s promise and ended with Cardiff celebrating.
