Erling Haaland has been hammered by Norway's manager after they stumbled to a goalless draw with Kazakhstan.
The Scandinavians headed east to face their opponents, regarded as minnows in the European football scene, but couldn't find a way through as they left with a point and no goals. That is despite having the potency of Haaland in their ranks as well as the creativity of Martin Odegaard.
Haaland though has copped it from former manager Egil Olsen, who believes no other team will be held by Kazakhstan as he underlined their failure. The Manchester City star has had to face the music with his boss claiming it is "one of the worst things" he's seen from the frontman.
Norway had more than 70 percent of the ball and had 19 attempts on goal - albeit only two of them found the target. Yet their opponents - ranked 59 places below them in FIFA's rankings - held firm with the Premier League's Golden Boot winner largely blamed.
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Olsen told TV2 : “We have two world-class players in the team. Today Erling Braut Haaland was unfortunately far below par. It’s one of the worst things I’ve seen from Haaland. Martin Ødegaard flashes at times, but I have also seen him better. One point here is too bad.
"There are no other teams in this group that will concede points to Kazakhstan.”
Haaland doesn't enjoy the luxuries he does at club level, but in him and Odegaard Norway have two of their most talented players in generations. That hasn't helped them make a major tournament though, which remains an ambition for both players.
The City man is already two goals shy of equalling the country's scoring record having notched 31 times himself since debuting in 2019. He also has the best strike rate of anyone in the top ten, underlining his quality.
Haaland himself has come under the spotlight despite scoring seven times in the opening three league games - netting two hat-tricks. His overall play and ability to link the team has been identified with the Norwegian having some very low touch counts during games.
That said, he's continued to score with regularity and defended his style last term.
"In the end, you can play football without touching the ball," he said. "You can do it with movements, the mental part, and the awareness. If I can stretch centre-backs with a run, it's hard, but it's my job."
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