Wales Head to Oslo Seeking Another Win Over Norway

Wales travel to Oslo on Saturday to play Norway in the Nations League, a competition where national teams are grouped by ranking so they face opponents of similar strength.

The two sides met first in Cardiff, about a month before this return match. Wales won 2-1. BBC Sport reports that Norway's best-known player, Erling Haaland, had a quiet night at Cardiff City Stadium.

Haaland touched the ball only 24 times in that game. A touch is any time a player makes contact with the ball, so the figure shows how little the ball reached him. He had two shots, and only one was on target. That effort was a header straight at Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward.

That is a striking night for a player with 65 goals in 59 games for Norway. Haaland is one of the most feared finishers in the world, and Wales kept him away from goal for most of the game. Few teams manage that for ninety minutes.

Wales are coached by Craig Bellamy, who will know the threat Norway pose. Norway's captain is Martin Odegaard, the midfielder who usually runs the team's play from the middle of the pitch. Both men will be looking for a different result in Oslo.

For Wales, the trip offers a chance to show the Cardiff win was no fluke. For Norway, the match is a chance to get their attacking machine going again, with the crowd behind them. Whatever happens on Saturday, it will be a useful test of how each side handles a second meeting with the other.