Overview
- Haaland started and played 72 minutes in Norway's 1-1 friendly with Morocco on Sunday but registered just four touches and was substituted for Jorgen Strand Larsen.
- Norwegian outlets gave unusually harsh reviews, with Dagsbladet rating him 2/10 and TV2 3/10 after the match.
- Detailed match data reported by FotMob showed two completed passes, one blocked shot, one touch in the box, one offside and no duels, a set of numbers that underpins the media backlash.
- Norway coach Ståle Solbakken defended Haaland by saying the minutes were needed for conditioning and that the striker's decisive moments should return, and no injury was reported after the game.
- Haaland remains fresh off a 38-goal club season for Manchester City, and he will have the World Cup group stage to respond as Norway prepare to face Iraq in Boston and finish in Group I with France and Senegal.