YBIG Blog: Ireland vs Norway

By Donal "Statto Biggins" Cullen

This will be our 17th game against Norway in a series that has seen the good and bad of Ireland. It all started with a two-legged meeting in the qualifiers for the 1938 World Cup. The first match was in Olso and we lost 2-3 to an Amateur side who also missed a penalty. Normally that would be looked on as a good result but in those days the World Cup wasn't taken as seriously as it is now and when Ireland could only draw 3-3 in the second leg at Dalyier it was looked on as just another game instead of a disaster of failing to get to a second World Cup finals when it was well within our grasp.
Norway remained an Amateur side until the 1970's and our meeting with them since those World Cup games saw our professional side go on an undefeated run with them until we met in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup. Again the first match was in Oslo and again we lost. It was one of the biggest disappointments of Eoin Hands reign as we have just come off a 1-0 win over the Soviet Union. Ireland had a chance for a late equaliser but Liam Brady missed with a diving header. As with the first meetings the second match, at home, ended in a draw. There was to be one more meeting in the World Cup this time in the finals of the 1994 World Cup but it again ended scoreless. It was a dire match but John Sheridan almost won it with a chip that went just over.
Our record against Norway is as follows:
                      P     W   D   L   F    A
Overall           16   7   7   2   27   16
Home              7    4   3   0   14   7
Away               9   3   4   2    13   9

On our last four visits to Oslo we have failed to score.
Ireland's biggest win was a 4-1 win in Oslo in 1964.
Norways biggest win was the 3-2 win in Oslo in 1937.
The last Irishmean to score against Norway was Damien Duff.
The last Irishman to score in Oslo was Miah Dennehy, over 35 years ago!
No player, either Norwegian or Irish, has scored more then two goals in a game between the two.
Most number of goals scored in the series is 4 by Norways Reidar Kvammen.
The most goals an Irishman has scored against Norway in the series is two by a number of players.