Haaland nets 5 as Norway keep pressure on Italy

Erling Haaland scored 5 goals arsenic Norway pummeled Moldova connected Tuesday to support their cleanable grounds successful World Cup qualifying and enactment atop the Group I array with 15 points successful 5 games.

The 5 goals were a vocation precocious for Haaland portion playing for Norway and the astir by a European antheral successful a World Cup qualifier since Austria's Hans Krankl acceptable the UEFA grounds of six against Malta successful 1977.

The effect keeps Norway six points wide of second-place Italy, who hardly escaped their Monday qualifier against Israel with a 5-4 win.

Gennaro Gatuso's Azzurri do person a crippled successful manus arsenic they pursuit Norway, with Italy looking to debar a 2nd spot decorativeness and request to suffice via the playoff path.

Felix Horn Myhre and Martin Ødegaard some scored, portion Thelo Aasgaard added 4 goals of his ain successful the runaway triumph for Norway, who look Italy connected the past time of qualification successful November.

Italy's crippled connected Monday wasn't decided until Sandro Tonali netted a last-gasp victor that gave Gattuso's broadside the triumph and enactment them up of Israel successful the array connected extremity difference.

Gattuso, who replaced Luciano Spalletti arsenic Italy manager successful June, acknowledged it was "the craziest crippled I've been progressive with arsenic a coach."

"But that's my responsibility and not down to the players," Gattuso added. "If we privation to play successful a definite way, we request to get amended astatine this. We were brainsick to systematically spell connected the attack. That's what Israel was waiting for. They deed america connected the antagonistic each time."

Four-time winners Italy person missed the past 2 World Cups.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this story.