norway

9^th Qualifier
Confederation: U.E.F.A. (Europe)

Land area: 385,600 km²

Population: 4,370,000

Capital: Oslo

Main cities: Stavanger, Trondheim

System of government: Constitutional Monarchy

Head of state: Thorbjorn Jagland, Prime Minister

Currency: Krone

Time difference: none with Paris

2 June 96 Norway – Azerbaijan 5-0

9 October 96 Norway – Hungaria 3-0

10 November 96 Switzerland – Norway 0-1

30 April 97 Norway – Finland 1-1

8 June 97 Hungaria – Norway 1-1

20 August 97 Finland – Norway 0-4

6 September 97 Azerbaijan – Norway 0-1

1^st in Group 3:

17 points

11 goals scored

1 goal conceded)

Goalkeeper: GRODAS (age 32 , 34 caps)

Defenders: HALAND (age 24, 24 caps) BERG (age 28, 46 caps) BJORNEBYE (age 27, 55 caps)

JOHNSEN (age 27, 41 caps)

Mid-field: J. FLO (age 32, 43 caps) SOLBAKKEN (age 29, 30 caps) REKDAL (age 28, 61 caps) MYKLAND (age 26, 49 caps)

RUDI (age 22, 13 caps)

Striker: T-A FLO (age 24, 18 caps)

Number of players used during the qualifying rounds: 23

National team colours: red, blue and white

FIFA ranking (on 18 July 1997): 15th

World Cup: participated 2 times (1938 and 1994)

1938: eliminated in the first round

1994: eliminated in the first round.

European Nations Cup: no particpation

Egil OLSEN
The Norwegian team coach Egil Olsen, an ex-winger (he played 16 times for his country but never scored), advocates a no-nonsense style of play, close to kick-and-rush. After hanging up his boots, he coached the Norwegian Olympic team from 1979 to 1985, and then, following his dismissal, devoted himself to teaching the game to Under 21’s. In 1990 he was thrust into the position of National Team coach and, although he made no friends among lovers of attacking play, helped Norway to move up the European ranks. Under his guidance and practising a football based on solid defence, Norway qualified for the 1994 World Cup finals, narrowly missed Euro 96 and has now qualified for its second consecutive World Cup, FRANCE 98. Olsen is nothing if not meticulous in his match preparations, and has compiled a database of all his side’s matches, second to none. His objective next year will be to get past the first round and see his side through to the first round of sixteen game in Norway’s history.