Gary Neville couldn't help but praise the vision on the pitch.
"Ekdal has quite formidable defensive skills—he's currently the most outstanding defensive player in the Swedish lineup, But at this moment, Theodore Bjorn just gave a gentle push and successfully shook off this player's interference. It must be said, his footwork and technique are becoming more and more impressive, Given time, he might even become a breakthrough-type player."
At this moment, the stands of Ullevaal Stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.
Xia Dongguo and Marianne even stood up, watching Theodore with immense excitement.
This time, Theodore wasn't in a hurry to pass. Instead, he chose to continue dribbling forward.
After all, at this moment, all the Swedish players had focused their attention on Haaland.
The two center-backs, Granqvist and Helander, had already positioned themselves on either side of Haaland, while Augustinsson was tasked with marking Bjørn Johnsen.
The other full-back, Krafth, charged straight toward Theodore.
This was a 3v4 attacking situation!
Two seconds later, when full-back Krafth appeared in front of him, Theodore still didn't choose to pass.
Instead, he actively used his shoulder to bump into Krafth.
Krafth was instantly stunned, he didn't prepared for this at all.
In Krafth's view, the teenager was merely a midfielder with decent footwork.
He assumed he had no physical presence whatsoever and would never engage in a physical duel with him.
But who would have thought, not only did Theodore not pass, but he also took a swift step forward.
In an instant, Theodore was like a bulldozer, directly overpowering Krafth.
He knocked the defender off balance with ease, after shaking off Krafth, Theodore calmly made his pass.
The ball just cleared center-back Granqvist's head and landed right in front of Erling Haaland.
Inside the penalty area, Erling Haaland raised his left foot, poised like a drawn bow.
Boom!!
Instantly, Haaland executed a powerful volley!
"OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT A VOLLEY!!! ERLING HAALAND RIPS IT INTO THE TOP CORNER FOR HIS HAT-TRICK!!!" Martin Tyler roared, his voice shaking the commentary gantry.
"ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL! FOUR-NIL TO NORWAY! HE HAS TORN THE SWEDISH DEFENSE TO ABSOLUTE SHREDS!"
"He has completed a hat-trick! Three goals all by himself!" Tyler continued, breathless. "This is a crucial goal, Haaland has successfully helped Norway extend the lead to four to zero! This means that any suspense in this match has completely vanished and it's worth mentioning that, once again, it was Theodore Bjorn's assist. All four of Norway's goals have been assisted by that young man!"
The Norwegian players celebrated wildly, while the Swedish players were filled with disappointment, sighing repeatedly on the pitch.
As for Sweden's head coach, Andersson, he simply returned to the bench and sat down.
Clearly, Andersson had completely lost confidence in tonight's match.
Not long after, the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the first half.
Entering halftime, Sweden's head coach Andersson was utterly speechless.
He was deeply disappointed with his players' performance, but despite that, Andersson could only suppress his emotions and explain the tactics for the second half to the players in the locker room.
...
Fifteen minutes later, the second half of Norway vs. Sweden officially began.
Sweden was in possession.
When the ball was passed to the feet of midfield star Christopher Olsson, the player actually took a long-range shot directly toward Norway's goal.
Boom!!
The power was immense, but the angle was quite poor and the ball flying straight out of bounds.
Immediately after, it was Norway's throw-in.
Full-back Aleesami threw the ball to Norway's midfielder Ødegaard. Although Norway had already built a commanding 4-0 lead early in the match tonight, Ødegaard hadn't had any particularly outstanding moments in the game.
So, after the second half began, Ødegaard was still eager to score a goal.
His desire to score was overwhelming!
"Ødegaard receives the ball!" Martin Tyler commentated. "He doesn't pass! Instead, he chooses to dribble forward himself!"
At Ullevaal Stadium, after receiving the ball on the right flank, Ødegaard wasted no time and immediately drove toward the opponent's penalty area.
As soon as Ødegaard crossed the halfway line with the ball, multiple Swedish players rushed toward him simultaneously.
Among them were Ekdal and Claesson. It must be said that the Swedish players took Ødegaard very seriously, sending two players to pressure him.
Seeing this, Ødegaard didn't stop his forward momentum. He continued to drive forward with the ball.
"It seems Ødegaard is very confident in his individual ability, He didn't pass the ball immediately!" Just as Neville was about to praise Ødegaard's performance, he was proven wrong in the very next moment.
Under the double pressure from Ekdal and Claesson, Ødegaard couldn't find any space to break through.
The ball was successfully intercepted.
Ekdal immediately passed the ball into the opponent's penalty area. Near the penalty spot, the ball reached the head of Marcus Berg, however, Norway's central defenders were quite solid in defense.
Nordtveit and Ajer both made moves to pressure Marcus Berg.
Although the Swedish forward won the first header, under the pressure from these two players, Marcus Berg's header was weak and powerless.
It was easily caught by Norway's goalkeeper, Jarstein.
The next moment, the Norwegian goalkeeper immediately launched a long kick, sending the ball into Sweden's half.
At the edge of the penalty area, the 196cm tall striker, Bjørn Johnsen, used his height advantage to successfully win the ball from the Swedish defenders.
After that, Bjørn Johnsen immediately passed the ball back to Ødegaard, who was following up in the center.
At this moment, there were no Swedish defenders around Ødegaard to pressure him.
This was a great chance to shoot!
Boom!!
The ball hugged the grass tightly, speeding toward Sweden's goal.
Swedish goalkeeper Olsen couldn't react in time and could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into the net.
"WHAT A HIT!! MARTIN ØDEGAARD MAKES IT FIVE!!!" Tyler shouted, the electricity returning to his voice.
"A LETHAL LOW VOLLEY AND SWEDEN ARE FALLING APART! A FIVE-STAR PERFORMANCE FROM NORWAY TONIGHT!"
Ødegaard scored Norway's fifth goal of the match.
Before the restart, Norwegian coach Lars Lagerbäck made a proactive substitution. Theodore and Haaland were both taken off the field.
A 5-0 lead was more than enough for Norway to secure the victory, and the team no longer needed to attack.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that Norwegian coach Lars Lagerbäck was Swedish by nationality.
If he had led his team to a heavy defeat against his own country, he would undoubtedly face criticism back in Sweden.
After Theodore and Haaland left the field, the focus of Norway's attack shifted to Ødegaard.
However, Ødegaard struggled to carry the team alone.
With the two stars absent, Norway's midfield control and attacking threat plummeted.
Although Ødegaard gave his all on the pitch, constantly running and pressing tirelessly, the results were mediocre.
Moreover, Norway failed to score any more goals in the remaining twenty minutes.
Of course, they didn't concede either.
After ninety minutes of play, Norway ultimately crushed Sweden 5-0, securing their second victory in the European Championship qualifiers group stage.
Currently, Norway has won both matches, earning six points and sitting at the top of the group standings.
After this match, the Norwegian national team would disband, and the players would return to their respective clubs.
The next international break will be at the end of June.
Norway will face Romania and the Faroe Islands.
These two teams are essentially European minnows, and barring any surprises, Norway should secure victories—likely by large margins.
...
In the locker room, the Norwegian players excitedly do a Viking dance, creating a joyful atmosphere.
A while later, head coach Lars Lagerbäck, who had attended the press conference, returned to the locker room, and he brought along a heavyweight guest.
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway!
Upon entering the locker room, Haakon Magnus shook hands with every Norwegian player.
Afterward, the Crown Prince delivered an inspiring speech.
"Lads, tonight you are the heroes of all Norway! We've secured victory in the Scandinavian Peninsula! Keep playing well! I believe you can qualify for the European Championship, even more, I believe you can at least help Norway reach the euro semifinals. You absolutely have the ability to do so!"
As Crown Prince Haakon Magnus was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.
He walked up to Theodore, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Uh, Theo, well played! It's an honor for Norway to have a player like you! Thank you for your contributions to Norwegian football!"
Theodore responded humbly, "Thank you sir, it's my duty."
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus nodded and continued, "By the way, my daughter Ingrid is a fan of yours! Could you give her an autographed jersey? I'm sure she'd be thrilled!"
"Of course! Absolutely! But... I don't have a pen."
Just as Theodore took off his jersey to sign it, he realized he didn't have a writing utensil.
"I have one here!" Haakon Magnus pulled an elegant-looking fountain pen from his suit pocket and handed it to Theodore.
Then, Theodore gracefully used the pen to sign his name on the jersey.
He signed it twice.
One signature was his formal print, and the other was in cursive.
"Keep this pen as a memento." After receiving the signed jersey, Haakon Magnus turned and gave the pen to Theodore.
Then, Haakon Magnus bid farewell to the Norwegian players and left the locker room.
After the Crown Prince left, Ødegaard and Haaland immediately gathered around, admiring the fountain pen.
"Wow! Theo! You've really struck it rich! This looks like a specially made royal fountain pen! It's a symbol of honor!" Ødegaard gazed at the pen with envy, clearly wanting to claim it for himself.
"Take a look, but be careful not to damage it!" Theodore, however, wasn't particularly concerned about the pen.
Just as he was about to go freshen up, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus returned.
Theodore instinctively thought Haakon Magnus had regretted his decision and was coming back to reclaim the pen he had just given him.
But clearly, that wasn't the reason.
"Theo, my daughter really wants to take a photo with you. Could you please step outside the locker room? She's waiting for you at the door!"
"No problem!" Theodore immediately followed Haakon Magnus outside the locker room, where he met Princess Ingrid.
Princess Ingrid was wearing a black dress, with a small crown on her head and stood about 165 centimeters tall.
"Nice to meet you, Theodore Bjorn~" After greeting him, Princess Ingrid flashed a bright smile.
Although the young princess had a few freckles on her face, they couldn't overshadow her beauty.
"Nice to meet you too, Princess Ingrid," Theodore replied.
"Quick! Stand together! I'll take a photo for you as a keepsake!" At that moment, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus took out a camera and personally played the role of photographer.
Click! Click! Click!
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus took three photos in one go. After the photos were taken, Princess Ingrid proactively exchanged contact information with Theodore before leaving the locker room entrance with her father.
As Theodore slowly walked back into the locker room and was about to freshen up, he suddenly realized something quite serious.
He wasn't wearing a shirt!
He had just taken a photo with Princess Ingrid bare-chested.
Instantly, he felt extremely embarrassed.
...
That evening, after leaving the stadium, Theodore didn't immediately take a flight back to Birmingham.
Instead, he first went to his family's restaurant in the city center.
Theodore hadn't been home in a long time.
He decided to spend a few hours at home before taking a flight back to Birmingham in the early morning.
Dongguo and Marianne were thrilled to learn that their precious son was coming home.
Even though the couple had just watched Theo's game live and were quite tired, they immediately went to the kitchen to prepare a lavish dinner for him.
"Theo, I heard even the Crown Prince of Norway personally received you?" During the meal, his father, asked excitedly.
"Yes. He also gave me a gift," Theodore said while picking up food with his fork.
"What kind of gift? Show it to your dad!" Dongguo was very curious.
"Dongguo! Our son rarely comes home. Let him eat first!" Marianne shot her husband a glance.
Theodore put down his fork and took the fountain pen out of his bag. "This is the fountain pen Haakon Magnus gave me. I don't really need it, so it's yours, Dad!"
Xia Dongguo quickly took the pen, examined it carefully and put it down.
"To think that I would one day be able to use a pen from the Norwegian royal family! Hahahaha!"
Clearly, the gift Theodore gave to his father was something he liked very much!
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator