The match continued.
Spain, having survived a scare, immediately launched a counterattack.
In the 56th minute of the match, after a series of one-touch passes between Ceballos and Busquets in midfield, Ceballos suddenly played a through ball into the Norwegian penalty area.
The ball landed perfectly at Rodrigo's feet.
In the stands of the Mestalla Stadium, Spanish fans erupted into cheers as they saw Rodrigo receive the ball inside the box.
Tens of thousands of fans from La Roja were hoping this Valencia forward would deliver the fatal blow to the Norwegian goal!!
Unfortunately, the Norwegian defenders were already in position.
Rodrigo couldn't find any shooting opportunity inside the box.
He was surrounded by Norwegian players.
Rodrigo had no choice but to force a shot... The ball was successfully blocked by Norwegian center-back Ajer with his body!
After that, the ball was cleared to midfield.
Seeing this, Theodore sprinted at full speed toward the landing spot of the ball, while veteran Busquets also moved toward it.
Theodore and Busquets were about to face off directly once again!
"Sliding tackle! Theodore executed a sliding tackle! His right foot was the first to reach the ball!!"
After seeing Theodore successfully win the ball in his duel with Busquets, Martin Tyler continued to praise him enthusiastically.
"Since Theodore came on in the second half, Norway's midfield has become much more dynamic. Theodore has not only frequently delivered threatening passes in attack but has also performed flawlessly in defense, showing no fear even when facing top midfielders like Busquets!"
After winning the ball, Theodore didn't immediately pass it this time.
Instead, he dribbled forward a few steps.
Theodore had only one goal in mind: to draw the attention of the defenders and create as much space as possible for his teammates.
Boom!
Three seconds later, when Spain's two other midfielders, Parejo and Ceballos rushed toward Theodore, he calmly passed the ball to Ødegaard in the attacking midfield position.
The moment this Norwegian prodigy controlled the ball with his left foot, Ramos suddenly charged out of the penalty area and confronted Ødegaard.
As former teammates at Real Madrid, Ramos had a good understanding of Ødegaard's technical abilities.
To prevent Ødegaard from attempting a long-range shot outside the penalty area, Ramos didn't hesitate and immediately rushed out of the box.
Seeing no shooting opportunity, Ødegaard decided to poke the ball with his left foot, attempting to nutmeg Ramos and break free from his defense.
However, Ramos, as an experienced defender didn't give Ødegaard the chance.
In the next moment, Ramos tackled both Ødegaard and the ball to the ground!
"Beeeeep!!"
Referee Anthony Taylor quickly blew his whistle.
He stopped the game and showed Ramos a yellow card.
"Yellow card! Ramos has been booked for the foul, Norway has been awarded a well-positioned free-kick opportunity!"
At the free-kick spot, Theodore and Ødegaard were covering their mouths as they discussed the play.
Ødegaard possessed the skill to take direct free-kicks, and under his persuasion, Theodore ultimately yielded the responsibility to Ødegaard.
Unfortunately, Ødegaard's subsequent free-kick shot struck the wall.
Seizing the opportunity, Spain launched a counterattack.
Historically, Spain's style has been centered on possession, the so-called tiki-taka.
However, as the golden generation of stars like Xavi, Iniesta, and David Silva gradually aged, the current Spanish national team has been left with only a semblance of possession-based play.
At this moment, although Spanish midfielder Ceballos controlled the ball, just as he was about to deliver a pass to the forwards, Theodore Bjorn suddenly interfered from the side.
Theodore's entire body collided with Ceballos.
The latter had no way to complete the pass in time, and Spain missed the counterattack opportunity.
Simultaneously, referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle again.
He signaled that Theodore's action was a foul and immediately showed Theodore a yellow card.
In the Sky Sports studio, commentators Martin Tyler and Gary Neville both expressed their confusion.
"Yellow card? Anthony Taylor's decision was far too harsh. Theodore's action was entirely aimed at the ball."
On the substitute bench, Spanish head coach Robert Moreno was preparing to make a substitution.
Since the start of the second half, Spain had lost control of the midfield.
It was time for a change.
Manchester City's defensive midfielder Rodri and Atlético Madrid's midfielder Saúl entered the pitch.
...
"Rodri comes on. He replaces the underperforming Ceballos. Saúl is also on, replacing Parejo. It seems Spain wants to step up their game. Robert Moreno still wants to secure all three points at home."
Busquets passes the ball to Rodri, who has just come on.
As the most trusted midfielder under Guardiola, Rodri possesses excellent football intelligence and vision.
Additionally, Rodri is also very physically strong and has a powerful long-range shot.
At this moment, after receiving the ball, Rodri immediately passes it out wide to Asensio.
Rodri's mind is sharp.
He knows that if Spain wants to secure victory, relying on striker Morata is almost impossible, they must depend on Asensio on the wing!
The latter receives the ball and once again showcases his excellent cutting-in skills.
A touch with his left foot, then a quick burst forward.
In the blink of an eye, Asensio has already broken into the edge of Norway's penalty area.
This is a great chance to shoot.
Without hesitation, Asensio immediately takes the shot with his left foot.
Boom!
The ball heads straight for the top corner.
At this moment, Norwegian goalkeeper Jarstein can only watch helplessly as the ball flies into the top corner of the net.
Two to one!
Asensio finally proves his worth!
A curling shot successfully finds the back of Norway's net!
"ASENSIOOOO! WHAT A MAGNIFICENT STRIKE!!" Martin Tyler roared, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Two to one! La Roja regains the lead. Asensio steps up with a moment of pure magic. This comes from Rodri's brilliant pass. Robert Moreno's substitution has played a crucial role in flipping this match on its head."
Martin Tyler began to worry for the Norwegian team.
"After Rodri came on, Spain's attack instantly rose to another level. Norway is in danger. Lars Lagerbäck needs to make adjustments."
After Tyler says this, Lars Lagerbäck indeed makes a substitution.
Haaland, who has been tearing up the Austrian league, takes the field.
"Oh, Norway has indeed made a substitution. Young target man Erling Haaland is on. Haaland's father is former Manchester City legend Alf-Inge Haaland. Born into a footballing family. So far, Haaland has scored 20 goals. It's worth noting that this match will be Haaland's debut for the Norwegian national team. Hopefully, Haaland's appearance can bring some help to Norway's attack."
On Twitter, UK fans express great interest in this tall, blonde-haired player.
"Is this guy a man or a woman? Why is his hair so long?"
"He looks like Majin Buu from dragon ball."
"Hey, you know what, he really does."
"Already this tall before turning 19? Norwegians are really built differently."
"I really want to cut Haaland's hair."
"Finally, the high school striker is on. Just looking at this kid's physique, you can tell he must be great at headers."
...
After Haaland came on, he replaced the out-of-form Elyounoussi.
Once the match resumed, Norway immediately launched an assault toward Spain's goal.
In the 70th minute.
Just as Theodore Bjorn received the ball in midfield, Saúl rushed right in front of him the next second.
This midfielder from Atlético Madrid had been tasked with marking Theodore Bjorn after coming on.
Spanish head coach Robert Moreno knew very well that if Theodore Bjorn continued to receive the ball easily in midfield, it would inevitably keep threatening Spain's defense.
So, Robert Moreno decided to bring on Saúl.
As a midfielder from Atlético Madrid, Saúl's defensive ability was unquestionable.
The moment Saúl rushed up to Theodore Bjorn, he used both hands and feet.
His right foot went for the ball, while his left hand frantically tugged at Theodore's jersey, basically giving Theodore no chance to pass.
However, Theodore showed no fear at all.
Instead, he actively engaged in the physical battle with Saúl.
Seeing Saúl pulling his jersey, Theodore immediately responded.
He also grabbed Saúl's jersey firmly with his right hand!
Anthony Taylor saw both Theodore and Saúl committing fouls with their hands, so he didn't blow the whistle.
He signaled for play to continue.
Meanwhile, Ødegaard in the attacking third quickly rushed toward Theodore.
Seeing this, Theodore immediately passed the ball to Ødegaard.
After receiving the ball, Ødegaard immediately went all out. Without hesitation, he dribbled straight toward Spain's goal.
Inside the penalty area, the newly substituted Erling Haaland was also very active.
He had already started fiercely battling with the Spanish center-backs, trying to secure a good attacking position.
But unexpectedly, Ødegaard, who was driving forward with the ball, didn't choose to pass at all.
Instead, he decided to go it alone.
Facing Rodri's challenge, Ødegaard feinted with his left foot before quickly taking a shot.
Although Ødegaard's shot was quick, Rodri also stretched out his foot in time to block it.
In the end, Ødegaard failed to get past Rodri's defense... His shot was directly blocked by Rodri's right leg. Ødegaard missed another chance to score.
"Ødegaard is still too naive. He actually wanted to break through Rodri's defense relying solely on his individual ability... He clearly doesn't understand Rodri's strength."
Martin Tyler remarked with a worried expression, "Haaland in the penalty area has already muscled off Iñigo Martínez. If Ødegaard could have played the ball into Spain's penalty area, perhaps Haaland could have had a chance for a header."
...
On the Norwegian sideline, head coach Lars Lagerbäck was also very dissatisfied with Ødegaard's decision.
He immediately gave Ødegaard an earful.
"Do you think you're Maradona? Pass the damn ball into the penalty area! Teamwork! Football is a sport for 11 players. Don't blindly try to dribble past everyone."
Ødegaard also realized his choice had been too aggressive and quickly raised his hand to apologize to Haaland.
In the 76th minute.
To better connect with Haaland, Theodore Bbegan moving to the wing to receive the ball.
Norwegian center-back Ajer saw Theodore raising his hand for the ball on the flank and, without hesitation, immediately sent a long pass toward his head.
A few seconds later, Theodore received the ball.