CORNERFLICK
Norway and Portugal meet in the Nations League tonight with Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland the obvious centrepieces. Solbakken has already underlined that Norway will not build their plan around a strict man-marking job on Ronaldo.
Solbakken on Ronaldo
The Norway coach said Ronaldo remains dangerous because of his movement, heading ability and instinct in the box, despite being 41. He pointed out that the Portugal captain is still creating chances and has been doing so at major tournaments as well.
Solbakken also joked that Ronaldo is closing in on 1,000 career goals, adding that very few teams have managed to stop him over the years. Norway, he said, will defend him through the zone rather than assign one player to shadow him everywhere.
Haaland’s numbers stand out
Haaland, 26, is in the middle of his peak years and has 64 goals in 56 Norway caps. Ronaldo has 146 international goals and 979 in all competitions across his career.
The source compared their records at the same age and found Haaland far ahead at international level. Ronaldo, though, has scored 94 of his Portugal goals after turning 30.
Benkfica midfielder Fredrik Aursnes said facing Ronaldo remains special, calling him a player at the highest level who still carries huge status in Portugal and beyond.