Injured Haaland, Norway out of Euro contention

Erling Haaland will miss Norway’s final European Championship qualifier against Scotland after injuring his foot in a friendly match against Faroe Islands, his country’s team doctor said on Saturday.

The Manchester City striker suffered a knock in Thursday’s friendly but was able to finish the match, with he and his team getting further bad news on Saturday as results did not go their way and ended any chance Norway had of qualifying for the Euro.

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Romania qualified by beating Israel 2-1 on Saturday, which means Israel misses out on an automatic qualifying spot but goes into the playoffs because of its Nations League record. However, Israel’s place in the playoff comes at the expense of Norway, who can no longer qualify will not play in the finals in Germany next summer.

“The injury is not serious, but he has so much pain and somewhat limited function that the Scotland game unfortunately comes a little too early,” team doctor Ola Sand said in a statement.

Norway are third in the group and cannot finish in the top two with Spain and Scotland having already sealed their spots at Euro 2024. But Norway could still qualify if they make the playoffs.

Haaland was Norway’s top scorer in the qualifiers with six goals, but even before learning the results of Saturday’s matches, head coach Stale Solbakken said he would not be adding to his squad.

“It’s obviously a shame that Erling won’t be ready for the game on Sunday, but we’re not going to bring in a replacement,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for the attacking players in the squad.”

City will also be sweating over his fitness with Pep Guardiola’s side hosting Liverpool in a top-of-the-table clash next Saturday after the international break. Haaland is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 13 goals.

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