Arsenal star plays through illness for national team
· Yahoo Sports
Martin Odegaard was up all night feeling unwell before Norway’s match against Wales on Saturday, but he went on to play 90 minutes anyway.
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Norway captain Martin Odegaard hasn’t missed a minute of his country’s 2026/27 Nations League campaign so far, but there was a strong argument for him sitting out of Saturday’s game against Wales.
According to Norway manager Stale Solbakken, Odegaard was up all night before the game due to illness, but he pushed to play 90 minutes anyway.
“We have had a captain who has been lying around all night vomiting,” Solbakken said.
“All credit to him for going the distance. We had a conversation during the break that he should just go for it from the start and let us know when the tank was empty.”
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Odegaard’s Norway teammate Patrick Berg confirmed his manager’s claims, praising the player for being able to finish the match anyway.
“I understood that Martin had a bad night,” Berg said. “It’s not exactly optimal when you’re going out and playing a football game. It’s strong of him to be able to finish.
“As far as I know, the illness is only affecting one person. We can only hope that it stays that way. But it is not unusual for it to spread.”
Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images
For what it’s worth, the game went well. Odegaard created three chances as Norway won 3-1, ending a run of three consecutive defeats.
Norway had been slipping towards relegation, but they’re now safe from automatic relegation, and they could even achieve a top-two finish and make the Nations League quarter-finals if they win their final game against Denmark.
If they don’t win that match, they’ll be playing in the relegation play-offs in March.
Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images