Wales beat Norway 2-1 in the third round of League A, Group 4 of the Nations League. The hosts were trailing after the first half but turned things around early in the second half, leaving Norway a man down.
Oscar Bob opened the scoring in the 11th minute after a combination with Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian captain found his teammate in open space outside the penalty area, and Bob finished the attack with a shot past Danny Ward.
Wales equalised in the 38th minute. Sorba Thomas passed to Daniel James, who beat Orjan Nyland to make it 1-1.
Red card changed the game
The situation became more complicated for Norway immediately after the break. Torbjorn Hegem was sent off in the 46th minute, and Wales took advantage of their numerical advantage just two minutes later.
Neko Williams scored for 2-1 in the 48th minute to give the hosts the lead. Wales kept the score until the end, although Norway continued to search for an equalizer. Erling Haaland started the match, but failed to score.
Both teams had three shots on goal, and possession was equal - 50 percent each. The data is from „Guardian“.
Wales back in the fight
The victory is Wales' first in the group after losses 0:1 to Portugal and 0:2 to Denmark. Before the match, coach Craig Bellamy said that the team must show a better face after the defeat to the Danes.
„This man is a machine. If you love football, you have to appreciate him“, Bellamy said of Holland before the match, quoted by „Guardian“.After the third round, Portugal is the leader with nine points. Denmark, Norway and Wales have three each, with Norway ahead of Wales due to the better goal difference.
On October 4, Wales hosts Denmark, while Norway visits Portugal. There are three more rounds to go in the group.
Sources: Sky Sports, Guardian