Norway Thrashes Moldova 11-1 With Haaland's Five Goals; Austria Defeats Bosnia And Herzegovina

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Norway delivered a commanding performance against Moldova, securing an 11-1 victory in their World Cup qualifying match. Erling Haaland was the star, scoring five goals, marking a personal milestone and setting a record for the most goals by a European man in a World Cup qualifier since 1977. Despite sustaining facial injuries from a bus accident earlier in the week, Haaland's performance was undeterred.

Norway's dominance was further highlighted by Thelo Aasgaard, who came off the bench to score four times. Felix Horn Myhre and captain Martin Odegaard also contributed to the scoreline. This win places Norway six points ahead of Italy in Group I, with 15 points from five games. Italy narrowly defeated Israel 5-4 on Monday to maintain their position.

The qualifiers are set to conclude with a decisive match between Norway and Italy in November, which could determine the top spot in the group. Meanwhile, Austria secured a 2-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica. Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer scored for Austria, while Edin Dzeko netted his fourth goal in three matches for Bosnia.

In another match, Ukraine drew 1-1 with Azerbaijan. Emin Mahmudov's penalty equalised Heorhii Sudakov’s earlier goal for Ukraine. Cyprus managed to draw 2-2 against Romania after conceding two early goals. Loizos Loizou and Charalampos Charalampous scored for Cyprus, who had an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.13 from 18 shots.

Albania achieved a narrow 1-0 win over Latvia at home, moving them up to second place in Group K behind England. Austria remains unbeaten with four wins and has a game in hand over Bosnia, who lead Group H on goal difference.

This round of qualifiers has set the stage for some thrilling upcoming matches as teams vie for top positions in their respective groups. The competition remains fierce as nations aim to secure their spots for the World Cup.