How do you stop Haaland? Wales show how it’s done

Wales will try to repeat the approach that helped them beat Norway 2-1 when they meet again in Oslo on Saturday. Their win showed that Erling Haaland can be contained through coordinated pressure, offering a potential blueprint for other teams facing one of football’s most prolific strikers.

Wales head coach Craig Bellamy favoured pressing high to deny Haaland and his team-mates time on the ball, despite the risk of leaving space behind the defence. Haaland had 24 touches and just two shots in Cardiff, with one on target; Wales also worked to restrict the service from Norway captain Martin Ødegaard, using midfielders such as Ethan Ampadu to protect the space between midfield and defence.