Haaland Clashes with Mancini in Heated Exchange

Norway secured its spot for the 2026 World Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over Italy at San Siro. Despite Italy dominating the first half, they needed to win by a margin of nine goals to qualify directly. After Antonio Nusa equalized, tensions escalated when Erling Haaland reacted to a provocation from Gianluca Mancini, leading Gianluigi Donnarumma to step in to prevent further escalation. This incident was a psychological turning point as the Norwegians started to take control.

At the final whistle, Haaland shared what triggered his anger. “At 1-1, he started touching me, and I thought, ‘What is he doing?’ Then I collected myself and told him, ‘Thanks for the motivation, let’s go!’” Following that moment, the Manchester City striker scored two quick goals, and Jørgen Strand Larsen added another in injury time. Pleased with how things turned out, the Norwegian forward remarked, “After that, I scored two goals, we win 4-1, it’s fantastic. Thanks to him!” Haaland wrapped up the qualifiers with 16 goals in eight matches, helping his team finish undefeated with eight wins.