Norway held by Iceland
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Article summary
Norway were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland in an international friendly.
Article body
Norway were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland in an international friendly tonight after trailing the North Atlantic side for nearly an hour.
Gudjonsson opener
Johannes Karl Gudjonsson gave Iceland a shock lead in the fifth minute when his 35-metre free-kick fooled Norwegian goalkeeper Thomas Myhre, who had come off his line apparently expecting a cross.
Solskjær equaliser
Norway were unable to pull level until the 60th minute when Manchester United FC striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær slammed in a volley from a cross by substitute Sigurd Rushfeldt.
No World Cup
Norway had been confident of a win after beating FIFA World Cup co-hosts Japan 3-0 last week to end a dismal run of results. Neither Iceland nor Norway have qualified for the World Cup. Both sides are building towards this autumn's EURO 2004™ qualifiers.