Spain strike late for nervy win over Norway
Spain needed a late Henning Berg own goal to clinch a 2-1 win over Norway in an electrifying Euro 2004 playoff first leg on Saturday.
Spain needed a late Henning Berg own goal to clinch a 2-1 win over Norway in an electrifying Euro 2004 playoff first leg on Saturday.
Inaki Saez's side still have plenty of work to do to reach the finals in Portugal, though, after a spectacular display from Norwegian goalkeeper Espen Johnsen left them with the slimmest of leads to take into the second leg in Oslo on Wednesday.
Norway took the lead in the 14th minute through Steffen Iversen, the man who scored their winner when the two sides met in Euro 2000, but Spain hit back with a Raul header seven minutes later.
Spain launched wave after wave of attack over the remainder of the game but were kept at bay until the 85th minute, when substitute Joaquin sent in a low cross from the right and Ruben Baraja slid in a shot that Berg deflected into his own net.
Johnsen then pulled off a quite incredible double save in injury-time to limit the damage to a 2-1 defeat and keep Norway handily placed with the second leg to come on home territory.
Spain struggled to get past Norway's defensive wall early on, with only Fernando Torres going close when he flicked the ball wide in the 12th minute after a surging run from deep.
Raul then saw a half-chance cleared by Berg before the home side were hit by a sucker punch from Norway in the 14th minute.
Iversen, who had shocked Spain with his goal in their opening game at the European Championship finals in 2000, struck right-footed from close in after Roar Strand had split the home defence with a header back into the box.
Spain, deflated by a goal that came completely against the run of play, were raised by a raucous 53,000 crowd at the Mestalla stadium and soon hit back.
Jose Antonio Reyes struck a perfect free kick from out wide on the right for Raul to glance a header past Johnsen.
Reyes came tantalisingly close to putting Spain ahead three minutes later when he slid in to meet a cross from Joseba Etxeberria only for Johnsen to make a point-blank save.
Flo then missed two chances to put Norway back in front, first latching on to a loose ball after a mistake from Michel Salgado to fire over and then taking Carlos Marchena's missed clearance and forcing a good save from Iker Casillas.
Spain raised their game again and threatened when Ruben Baraja struck a free kick wide, and again just before halftime when David Albelda grazed a post with his shot.
Spain took up where they had left off at the start of the second half, with Baraja going close with another free kick and Carles Puyol forcing a nervy save from Johnsen with his high cross-shot.
Norway were starting to look dangerous again on the break and Iversen flashed a shot across goal after a swift break down the left, Casillas just getting a hand on his goal-bound effort.
Johnsen then pulled off another fine save from Raul on the rebound after a close-range shot from Reyes had been blocked.
Spain were getting increasingly frustrated as the clock ticked down but they finally found a way past Johnsen for a second time, courtesy of Berg's unfortunate intervention, to take a slim reward from a vibrant attacking display.