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A strong experience ahead of the World Cup
Norway were held to a late 1-1 draw by Morocco at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday night in preparation for the 2026 World Cup finals, which begin next Thursday.
The match saw a strong performance from the Atlas Lions from their starting line-up, while the Scandinavian side failed to inspire confidence despite their success in the 75th minute with a late goal through their star Martin Odegaard.
Formations close to the World Cup
Norway have fielded a line-up very close to their expected World Cup starting line-up, featuring Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorlot and Antonio Nosa, for a real test of the squad’s fitness ahead of official competition.
For his part, the Moroccan coach has included rookie Ayoub Bouadi in the starting line-up alongside El Ainaoui, Ounahi, Sibari, Ibrahim Diaz and captain Ashraf Hakimi in an attempt to test the squad’s fitness ahead of the opening match against Brazil on June 14.
Diaz gives Morocco an early lead
In front of thousands of Moroccan fans who had turned out to support their team, the Atlas Lions looked dangerous from the start as Abdel Samad Zalzouli had a chance to open the scoring early on, but his shot in the fifth minute lacked the precision it needed.
Morocco’s game plan greatly troubled the Norwegian team, and continued Moroccan pressure led to a quick counter-attack that saw Ibrahim Diaz score a superb goal to net the Norwegians with a powerful shot in the seventh minute.
Norway tries in vain
Norway tried to respond quickly to equalise, but Morocco continued to control the match and Zelzouli missed another golden chance that would have decided the result before the end of the first half.
Both injuries are a concern
The end of the first half saw a lot of anxiety in the Moroccan camp after Spain’s Real Betis were forced off the field by a worrying last-minute injury, more than 15 minutes after Nusair Mazraoui was also carried off.
The Norwegians improved in the second half
Norway’s performance improved significantly after the first-half break as Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had to shine to keep out Schilderup’s dangerous attempt in the 50th minute to preserve his side’s lead.
The pace of the match clearly dropped after the 60th minute as both sides made numerous substitutions in an attempt by the coaches to get as many players as possible before the start of the tournament.
Norwegian substitutes are the difference
The changes were hugely in Norway’s favor as they were able to equalize thanks to a superb pass from substitute Bob who cleverly flicked it to Martin Odegaard who brilliantly slotted it into the far corner to seal the tie in the 75th minute.
Morocco suffer from substitutions
The Moroccan team suffered significantly after making numerous substitutions late in the match as the Norwegian team almost grabbed the winning goal in the 81st minute if not for the vigilance of the Moroccan defence.
In the opening match of the World Cup, the Moroccan team will meet with Brazil on June 14, and the Norwegian team will meet with France in the first group competition, which also includes Iraq.
