Norway's late rally shocks Italy as Donnarumma laments a second-half fade
17 November 2025
Match recap
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy's goalkeeper, admitted that his team stopped playing in the second half of the Euro 2026 qualifier against Norway on Sunday, the final round of the European campaign.
Italy faced a near‑impossible mission, needing nine goals to qualify directly, so finishing top of the group had already looked unlikely.
Nevertheless, they hoped to avenge their 3-0 defeat in June and approach the knockout stage with confidence after a run of wins, but the final score and the collapse were painful for everyone.
The Azurri began brightly with an early goal after 11 minutes from Francesco Esposito, while Norway waited until the 63rd minute to equalize through Antonio Nusa.
Erling Haaland turned the game by scoring twice in two minutes (78th and 79th), and Strands Larsen added a fourth in stoppage time to seal a superb win for Norway on Italian soil.
With the result, Norway finished the qualifiers undefeated, eight wins and 24 points, while Italy finished second on 18 points and moved into the European playoff.
In comments to Sky Sport Italia, Italy's starting goalkeeper said that they should not have conceded the third and that the third and fourth goals came late, but the bigger issue was that Italy stopped playing in the second half.
He added that the first half was different and that Italy pressed well, but the team needed to maintain that level for 95 minutes rather than 45.
Locatelli and other figures described Italy's mindset as fragile, prompting questions about why the team lost its composure.
Donnarummma responded that it is up to the team to improve, listen to the coach, and stay focused when facing tough periods.
Di Lorenzo, the right back, urged learning from the defeat and looking ahead to the March playoff with a different attitude.
The draw for the March playoffs will shape what comes next, with a sense that Italy must raise their level to reach the final stage.
Two punchlines aside, the night in Oslo was a reminder that in football, the second half can rewrite the script faster than a halftime speech can redraw the game plan.
Punchline 1: If you forget the second half, maybe you should just replay it in the locker room—at least the acoustics are better for blame-shifting.
Punchline 2: Italy may need a reboot in March; apparently their system requires a full restart rather than a quick patch.
