Hat-trick hero Haaland & Odegaard praise each other after Norway win

Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard spoke on their mutual respect for each other after helping Norway defeat Romania.

The ever-impressive Haaland reached another career landmark on Sunday by scoring his first hat-trick in international football to help Norway seal a 4-0 win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League.

Odegaard assisted the Borussia Dortmund man with two of his three goals in Oslo as Norway bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Serbia in a Euro 2020 playoff last Thursday.

Haaland’s treble, meanwhile, has taken his tally up to six goals in his last three appearances for the Lions. But rather than bask in his success, the 20-year-old was keen to credit his Real Madrid teammate.

After interrupting Odegaard’s interview with TV2, he jokingly remarked: “I just have to pay tribute to him a little. Finally, he came to his senses and played the ball to me.”

Jokes aside, Haaland added: “Yes, I can simply split it in two.

“It’s nice to play with Odegaard. It will only get better in the years to come. We are still young.”

En servitør, og en hat trick-helt⚽️⚽️⚽️🤩 #sterkeresammen

Geplaatst door Fotballandslaget op Zondag 11 oktober 2020

Odegaard also opened up on the experience of playing alongside Haaland, citing the striker’s perfectly timed runs to his passes.

“We know that it’s just [a case of] getting the ball in behind,” said the 21-year-old.

“He starts perfectly every time and almost never goes offside. He times it well and always gets there first.”

Haaland and Odegaard will likely return to action again on Wednesday as Norway welcome Northern Ireland to the Ullevaal Stadium for their next Nations League match.