Martin Odegaard's Goal Sparks Confidence for Norway at World Cup

Martin Odegaard left the pitch in the United States with more than just a goal to his name. He left with a weight lifted.

The Arsenal captain, who has spent the final stretch of the club season playing through knee pain, struck the equaliser as Norway drew 1-1 with Morocco in their last World Cup warm-up game on Sunday. On the scoreboard it was a simple leveller; for Odegaard, it felt like a turning point.

He first damaged the knee in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Brentford back in February. The problem lingered. For three months he played through it, including in the Champions League final defeat to PSG in Budapest, where he still started despite the discomfort. The season ended with a medal missing from his collection and a joint that refused to settle down.

Now, finally, the noise is dying down.

“It felt good. I've been struggling with my knee for a while,” he told TV2 after the draw with the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists. “I feel like it's starting to ease now and I feel like it's been good for a while. My physical shape is good. It was hot out here, but I felt like I was getting better outside.”

That last line will please Norway as much as Arsenal. This is their first World Cup since 1998, and they are not travelling to make up the numbers. Group I throws them in with Iraq, Senegal and France, a mix of pedigree and unpredictability that will expose any side carrying passengers. They need their captain at full speed, not managing his minutes.

Odegaard looks ready to oblige. His strike against Morocco was his fifth for his country, a neat milestone that came with a playful edge. As he wheeled away, he held up four fingers to manager Stale Solbakken, a nod to the coach’s own tally of nine international goals.

“Now there are only four left. We are getting closer!” Odegaard said, half-smiling, half-issuing a challenge to himself as much as to his manager’s record. Solbakken has been clear he wants more goals from his playmaker; his captain is clearly listening.

The performance was not flawless. The surfaces in the United States have been a talking point all week, and Odegaard did not pretend otherwise. The bounce caught him out at one point, leading to an ugly moment he was quick to correct.

“The one I gave away was ugly, luckily I got it fixed again,” he admitted. “It was a bit loose, and I was a bit unfamiliar with the bounce on the field and such. Maybe I can blame it a bit, but I think we worked our way into the game and got better as we went along. We could have won in the end.”

That last line will linger in Norwegian minds. Against a Morocco side widely tipped as a dark horse again this summer, Norway grew stronger as the heat rose and the minutes ticked by. The equaliser felt less like a rescue act and more like a statement that this team, too, has designs on upsetting the established order.

Both nations arrive at the tournament with that same label: dangerous outsiders. Norway carry Erling Haaland’s goals, Odegaard’s craft and a generation that has been told it is good enough to stand toe to toe with anyone. Morocco arrive as proven giant-killers after their run in 2022.

For Odegaard, the equation is simpler. The knee that betrayed him in February is easing. The rhythm is returning. The goals are starting to flow again.

Next up is Iraq in the Group I opener. A fit, confident Odegaard walking out for Norway at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 is exactly where he always believed he should be. Now he has to show the rest of the world he belongs there.