Aware that a win would help them leapfrog early Group B3 leaders Slovenia, Norway eyed a quick start in Oslo, and the Lions’ talisman Erling Haaland took just 30 seconds to cause trouble, rounding Jan Oblak and forcing Jure Balkovec into a last-ditch goalline clearance.
But the Slovenian defence couldn’t get a grip on Haaland, and the striker netted his sixth goal in five Norway appearances, reacting first to Oblak’s spilled save and firing through the goalkeeper’s legs in the seventh minute.
Slovenia now faced the daunting task of scoring in Norway – something they only managed once in their four visits to the Nordic nation since 1999.
Andraž Šporar came closest to breaking that unwanted record, with a glancing header that had Ørjan Nyland backpedalling before the effort landed on the roof of the net.
The hosts soon regained momentum though, and ensured Slovenia would trail at HT for just the second time in 19 matches, even though Antonio Nusa squandered a late chance to double Norway’s advantage, when he dragged an effort wide after going one-on-one with Oblak.
Another blistering start to the second half put Norway well on track for a third successive home victory.
Haaland was the instigator once more as he forced Vanja Drkušić into a rushed clearance straight to Alexander Sørloth, who didn’t hesitate in hammering a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
And Sørloth repaid his strike partner just after the hour mark, as the Atlético Madrid man teed up Haaland on the edge of the area, allowing the Manchester City forward to curl past a stranded Oblak.
Unbeaten and top of the table after three matches, Ståle Solbakken will leave Ullevaal Stadion feeling extremely satisfied with Haaland, who has now scored 34 goals in just 36 internationals.
A usually resilient Slovenia had conceded no more than one goal in each of their previous nine matches, but Matjaž Kek’s outfit had no answer for Norway’s ruthless frontline, and they drop down to third in Group B3.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Erling Haaland (Norway)
