Norway in World Cup finals after 27 years: Trounce Italy 4-1 in the all-important qualifier
Erling Haaland, ‘the man with golden feet’, steered his country to the finals of the 2026 World Cup after a gap of 27 long years! Norway qualified for the World Cup finals 2026 on Sunday, drubbing Italy 4-1 in its final qualifier, leaving the host in deep trouble to push them into the playoffs, which it has missed out on in the last two editions of the tournament. Norway ended qualifying with eight wins, finishing six points ahead of four-time World Cup winner Italy, which will compete in the playoffs for the third consecutive time. Needing a nine-goal win because of Norway’s superior goal difference, the Italians started aggressively and scored first when Francesco Pio Esposito finished from close range just after the 10-minute mark. The host was dominant until the last minutes of the first half and went close to a second goal several times, with Norway having only a half-chance when a shot from Antonio Nusa went over the bar. However, it was a completely different Norway in the second half, and Nusa equalized in the 63rd minute with a left-foot finish from inside the box. With Norway in control in the closing stages, Italy paid the price for leaving Haaland unmarked in the box in the 78th minute as he met a cross and volleyed home with ease. Haaland then wrapped up the match with a second goal a minute later, taking his tally for the campaign to 16. Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the fourth in stoppage time for the visitors, who showed they would be no pushovers at next year’s tournament.
A social media content creator becomes a Serie A scout!
As social media’s influence grows, content creators are also gaining significant influence. The football clubs might also be influenced by the constant growth of social media influencers. The example is there. Serie A side Como 1907 has recently hired 20-year-old Felix Johnston as a first-team scout. It is a remarkable step for Johnston, who, until recently, was a Chelsea content creator on X, highlighting and providing analysis on the brightest stars at the club’s academy. Now he is helping find players to improve a side managed by former Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas in Italy’s top flight. “It’s been a long journey,” Johnston told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club. “It started with my friend messaging me during the lockdown saying, ‘you need to get on Twitter, that’s where everyone is talking about football’. “I took it kind of seriously, built up a following, and where it really started was when I discovered the Chelsea academy. “I fell in love with watching the academy games, seeing the young players come through. It was what I was known for, my niche on Twitter.” From there, he began to do his own scouting of players, and Chelsea’s youth-focused transfer strategy gave him plenty to get stuck into. “Suddenly their model was all about signing young players, so I was staying up until 2am watching Kendry Paez at the Under-17 World Cup, Estevao, then finding talents of my own,” Johnston added. “I got a bit of recognition, including from some people in the game, and that made scouting a reality to me. Prior to that, it was just truly a passion.” It is in the past six months that things have really moved on for Johnston. His first step into professional football came in April when he was hired by Danish team Vejle as a scouting consultant before, at the end of July, Como got in touch. “The director of recruitment [at Como] reached out to me on Twitter saying he liked what I was tweeting and that he would like to do an internship and find some modern, younger scouts to bring into the club,” Johnston said. “I was obviously very happy to go along with that, and nine weeks later, I got the job.” So, having got the dream job, what is Johnston, who is combining the role with his university studies in Milan, being tasked with at Como? “The director of recruitment who hired me was the head of data at his previous club, AZ Alkmaar, and is a very data-focused guy,” he said. “My role, essentially, is that I get passed down data players, watch them on the eye, and do a report. “I look at the players they ask me to look at. But it’s an all-encompassing role, not restricted by any region or position.” Five full games are usually considered enough for Johnston to compile an initial report – although that can vary. “If they play for a low possession side and they’ve not really touched the ball, then I’ll need to watch more just for more evidence,” he explained. He is not the traditional way into the game, but Johnston says Como are a “very forward-thinking club” who “want to get the new talent on the scene”. With the club seventh in just their second year back in Serie A, it is an approach that seems to be working. Meanwhile, Johnston’s big tip for the future is 16-year-old Deinner Ordonez. Ordonez is a centre-back at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador – the academy that Moises Caicedo came through. They’ve had a lot of talents, and he’s very talented.” It must be noted that now Johnston’s analysis and opinion will be sent to Fabregas rather than the social media masses.
Gattuso calls Italy’s 5-4 win the ‘wildest game’ as coach! Italy’s World Cup hopes stay alive
Italy’s 2026 World Cup hopes nearly ended Monday at the Nagyerdei Stadium, as underdogs Israel gave the Azzurri a scare in a 5-4 World Cup qualifier. In a wild contest, Italy scored two own goals, came from behind twice, and conceded a late equalizer, but won to stay alive in Group I. Italy won their first game under Gattuso 5-0 over Estonia on Friday. Away against Israel, performance slipped but they still secured three points on neutral ground. “It was murder today. It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players. If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this. We were crazy to go on the attack systematically, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time. We could’ve defended deeper when leading,” Gattuso told reporters after the game. Italy’s qualification hopes received a much-needed lift with the scrappy result. The win over Israel has moved them into second in Group I, giving them a clear path to the play-offs. With group leaders Norway now just three points ahead, the team is in a prime spot. Missing out on a second straight World Cup would be nothing short of a disaster for the nation.
Football-wealthy Italy on the verge of qualifying for the T-20 World Cup!
Italy, a country famous for producing legendary footballers, may have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the Fifa World Cup, but the Azzurri are now on the cusp of making cricket history. The Italian minnows are just one win away from punching their ticket to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka following their 12-run win over Scotland on Wednesday in the European qualifying tournament. All they need now is a win over the Netherlands on Friday in their final qualifying game to earn a historic berth at a cricket World Cup. Even a narrow defeat to the Dutch could be enough for them to qualify for the global T20 showpiece, thanks to their superior net run rate in the qualifying tournament. Outside of the full-member ICC nations from Europe, only the Netherlands and Scotland have qualified for the cricket World Cups in the past. If the Italian team manage to hold their nerve in the final qualifying game on Friday, it will be a historic moment for the International Cricket Council (ICC), which made considerable investments in developing the sport at the grassroots level across the world. Leading the Italian bid for a World Cup berth is Joe Burns, a former Australian batsman who scored four hundreds in 23 Test matches. Last year, Burns, whose grandparents were Italian, decided to move to Italy. After becoming eligible to play for Italy, the elegant opening batsman was named the captain of the team. His experience and leadership skills have now kept the great Italian cricket dream alive. The 35-year-old believes earning a spot in the T20 World Cup will be a groundbreaking moment for a country that still doesn’t have proper turf wickets. “It’s not lost on us the magnitude of the impact we can have on Italian cricket. We talk a lot as a team about creating a legacy for the generations to come after us,” Burns told the BBC. “To wear the Italian cap at the World Cup would make us a groundbreaking team. And we think we’ve got the team to get there.” Burns’ maternal grandparents left Italy for Australia following the First World War. But Italy always remained close to his heart, even as he made rapid strides as a cricketer in Australia. “I often reflect on the bravery and commitment it must have taken my grandparents when they left Italy to start a new life in Australia,” he said. “They found a way to make it work through adversity, and this has always given me solace through life’s lessons. “Now I’m so proud to represent Italy on our path to the 2026 World Cup.” On Friday, Burns will hope to lead from the front and pay the perfect tribute to his late brother, an amateur cricketer who died in 2023, by taking Italy to the World Cup.
Italian government provides legal protection for the referees after they face continuous abuse in Seri-A matches
Referees in Italy will now receive the same legal protection as police officers and other public officials, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, to help curb a rise in cases of assault in sports such as football. A change to the penal code will mean much tougher penalties, including potential jail, for acts of violence against match officials, including pushing, hitting, or threatening. The move follows months of discussions between the government and the Italian Football Referees Association. The law, part of a decree approved by the Italian government late on Friday, extends protection to all officials responsible for ensuring sporting fixtures are conducted fairly. Abuse towards match officials at all levels of Italian football has become a growing concern. In December, Serie-A referees highlighted the issue by wearing black smudges on their cheeks during matches as a symbol of protest. In one notorious example last season, 19-year-old referee Diego Alfonzetti was attacked when he took charge of a youth match in Sicily. Alfonzetti was invited onto the pitch alongside the match officials before the Lazio-Rome Serie A derby in April as an act of solidarity. “Sport is loyalty and sharing. Those who do not accept it are warned: from tomorrow violent behaviour and aggression against referees will be punished without delay, even with prison,” said Senator Andrea Ostellari, a junior justice minister.
Italy fear missing the third straight World Cup!
Italy, who have failed to qualify for the last two FIFA World Cups, seem to be in huge anxiety over the uncertainty of missing the finals of the third straight Fifa World Cup after a 3-0 loss to Norway on Friday night. First-half goals from Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa, and Erling Haaland were enough for Norway to inflict another defeat on Italy, who found themselves in a precarious position, in the European World Cup qualifiers. Italy, yet to earn a point, are fourth in Group I, even though they have played two matches fewer than the teams above them because of their involvement in the Nations League. Norway are the table-toppers with nine points followed by Israel with six and Estonia are placed third with three points. Group winners directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup while the runners-up progress to the play-offs. The defeat has created an unprecedented crisis in the Italian football fraternity as the three-time World Cup champions are on the verge of completing the dubious hat-trick of missing the World Cup, having already missed the 2018 and 2022 editions as well. Leading Italian sports daily, Gazzetta Dello Sport called the situation an ‘unprecedented crisis.’ “Let’s prepare for yet another torture in the playoffs, assuming we grab second place. The national team seen yesterday in Oslo was embarrassing and it is legitimate to doubt everything, to expect the worst of the worst. This is who we are, and we are poor, empty,” the newspaper noted. Italy’s under-fire coach Luciano Spalletti took responsibility for Friday’s defeat and told Sky Sport Italia that it was a ‘difficult moment’. “There are always worries, because after a performance like that, you clearly have to ask yourself questions and realize there are problems, but you have to face them because there is no other possibility,” Spalletti said.
