Norway smashes 11 goals past Moldova in merciless qualifying win

Norway ripped Moldova to shreds Tuesday in a relentless 11-1 World Cup qualification win.

Erling Haaland scored five goals, taking his overall tally to 48 goals in 45 outings for his country. Thelo Aasgaard struck four times after being called off the bench in the 64th minute for his third Norway cap. Martin Odegaard and Felix Horn Myhre scored a goal apiece.

Norway's men's team has impressively notched 11 goals in two other matches across its history, albeit in two friendlies. It trounced Finland 12-0 in 1946 and thrashed the United States 11-0 in 1948.

The biggest World Cup qualification victory under UEFA's umbrella was a 12-0 success for Germany against Cyprus in 1969, according to The Sweeper podcast.

5 - Erling Haaland has scored in each of his last eight international appearances, scoring 14 goals, while he's the first European player to score five times in a World Cup qualifier since Hans Krankl scored six for Austria v Malta in 1977. Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/6d7Dz8aZ9u
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 9, 2025

Aasgaard is just the third player to score four goals as a substitute in World Cup qualifiers, according to respected soccer statistician MisterChip. He follows Portugal's Nuno Gomes (2001) and Vanuatu's Seule Solomon (2007).

Norway is top of Group I in UEFA's World Cup qualification cycle with five wins from five matches. Second-placed Italy and Israel, which is third, are six points behind the Norwegians.

Norway hasn't participated in the men's World Cup since its round of 16 elimination in 1998.