Azerbaijan v Norway background
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Article summary
A first goal against Norway would be a start for Azerbaijan as they look to give their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group H rivals a run for their money in Baku.
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Article body
Azerbaijan will hope to land a first blow against Norway as the sides reconvene in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group H, with the home side yet to score in two matches against their guests.
Match background
• Azerbaijan's record in two matches against Norway is W0 D0 L2 (W0 D0 L1 at home, W0 D0 L1 away), with an aggregate score of 6-0 to Norway.
• Their only previous meetings came in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Egil Olsen's Norway beat Kazbek Tuaev's Azerbaijan 5-0 in Oslo on 2 June 1996, Ståle Solbakken (9 and 47) and Ole Gunnar Solskjær (37 and 90) scoring twice each and Frank Strandli (60) once. Those were Solbakken's first international goals, and Solskjær and Strandli's first competitive international strikes.
• Tore André Flo (43) scored the only goal in the return fixture on 6 September 1997, with Vagif Sadygov having taken charge of Azerbaijan.
• In terms of meetings in UEFA youth and age-group tournaments, there is little to separate the sides; Azerbaijan's record in six encounters is W2 D1 L3.
• The four UEFA competition meetings between the nations' clubs have produced two Azerbaijani wins and one Norwegian victory. Most recently, Tromsø IL eliminated İnter Bakı PİK in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, despite losing the second leg 1-0 in Baku.
