Erling Haaland watched from the stands and Alexander Isak scored for Sweden in a 3-1 loss to Norway on Monday between a pair of teams headed for the FIFA World Cup.
Norway raced out to a 3-0 lead at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion on a pair of goals from Jørgen Strand Larsen either side of a strike from Antonio Nusa.
Liverpool striker Isak came on for Sweden came on in the 62nd minute and made an instant impact, converting on a nice shot from the left side of the penalty area following his speedy run down the flank.
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It was a tale of two very different seasons for Haaland and Isak — the respective countries top attacking threats — with the Norway star helping Manchester City to Carabao Cup and FA Cup wins and collecting 38 goals across all competitions in 2025-26.
Isak, on the other hand, had an injury-plagued season in which he appeared just 14 times for Liverpool and scored a scant three goals following his high-profile move to Anfield from Newcastle United last summer.
The pair will be called on to lead their teams at the World Cup in North America this summer, where Norway was drawn with France, Senegal and Iraq in Group I. Sweden will face Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in Group F in a bid to reach the round of 32.
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In other pre-World Cup action Monday, Türkiye beat North Macedonia 4-0 in Istanbul. Up-and-coming Real Madrid star Arda Güler, who was injured toward the end of the LaLiga season, came off the bench for Türkiye, who are in Group D with the United States, Paraguay and Australia.
Information from ESPN Global Research was used in this report.
