13 hours ago
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Erling Haaland put Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak on notice after his incredible performance against Moldova, while Salah dealt with his own World Cup frustration.
Salah and Egypt will be forced to wait until October to have another chance at guaranteeing a spot in the FIFA World Cup in 2026 after the side drew against Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, Isak was jeered by the crowd in Kosovo as he made an appearance for Sweden in their 2-0 loss.
And while Salah and Isak were on the receiving end of less-than-desirable results, Haaland, on the other hand, with the 25-year-old's fingerprints all over Norway's 11-1 win over Moldova.
In Norway's win, Haaland netted an astonishing five goals against Moldova, scoring in the 11th, 36th, 43rd, 52nd, and 83rd minutes of the match. Thelo Aasgaard scored four goals of his own while Martin Odegaard and Felix Myhre each had one goal each.
With his outing, Haaland became the first European player to score five goals in a World Cup qualifier in 48 years. In all, the 25-year-old has scored 48 goals and accrued five hat-tricks in 45 appearances for his country, becoming the first Norwegian player to score four or more goals in a match this century.
After the victory, Haaland posted on social media to celebrate the win and his impressive outing, showing his fans he was seemingly relishing his historic performance against Moldova. It must be noted that Haaland came in third in the Premier League Golden Boot race last season, behind Salah and Isak.
For Salah, he did what he could to help propel Egypt to a World Cup appearance and considering he is 33, it could have been the last time the star forward competed in the biggest tournament in the upcoming year. Of note, Salah had a header in the 66th minute ruled offside, despite replays showing the opposite.
If Egypt were to make it to the World Cup, it would have to take two more points from matches against Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau in October.
Tunisia and Morocco are the only African nations to have secured a spot in the World Cup, while no European countries have yet qualified for the latest iteration of the upcoming tournament.
Isak, on the other hand, is seemingly being brought along slowly after signing with Liverpool from Newcastle. This appeared to be by design as Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson and Arne Slot, along with both clubs' medical staff, discussed what the star can do.
"We will not do any stupid things with him. He has not had a pre-season with lots of training and matches. He cannot play 90 minutes. We have a plan," Tomasson shared before the international fixtures.
"We always have very good communication with the clubs. I have spoken to their manager. Our doctor has spoken to their doctor. Our physio Ben [Rosen] has spoken to their physio.
"I am happy that the guy is here. It doesn't matter where the players play as long as they play and that they are happy, and he is extremely happy."
Isak played just 18 minutes in Sweden's 2-0 loss to Kosovo, with Swedish media unrelenting in their assessment of his play.
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