Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso apologised to supporters after a heavy 4–1 defeat to Norway in their final Group I World Cup qualifier at San Siro on Sunday. Italy had already secured second place and a play-off spot, yet Gattuso hoped for a strong performance to build momentum before a challenging spring.
The home team opened the match with confidence. Pio Esposito scored early with a precise strike that lifted the San Siro crowd. The Azzurri controlled the first half and appeared ready to finish the campaign on a positive note. The match turned after the break when Antonio Nusa equalised in the sixty-third minute. Italy lost shape as Norway pushed forward with growing belief.
Erling Haaland scored twice in the seventy-eighth and seventy-ninth minutes, stunning the home fans. Jørgen Strand Larsen added a fourth in stoppage time to seal a comprehensive victory. Gattuso admitted deep disappointment after the final whistle. He said the team must apologise because the defeat felt heavy and unexpected. He added that the players now needed to recover mentally and understand why they fell apart after the equaliser.
Gattuso praised the first-half display and said the team must use those positive passages as a foundation. He noted that Italy reacted poorly to Norway’s first shot on target and lost confidence too quickly. He stressed the importance of reflection ahead of the World Cup playoffs, especially after Italy’s recent failures at that stage.
“Today was very important for me because we were playing against a good team and it could have given us the confidence and mentality to take a step forward. “We failed, but we will have to reflect because we can’t fall to pieces at the first setback”.
The evening also saw a serious incident off the pitch. A twenty-four-year-old Norwegian supporter living in Milan reported that a twenty-five-year-old stadium restroom cleaner molested her during the match. She had felt unwell and went to the restroom with a friend waiting outside. The man claimed he approached her to help, yet authorities have accused him of sexual assault. Police are continuing their investigation.
