World Cup Friendlies: Norway Draws 1-1 with Morocco, Italy Beats Greece

Morocco, which had reached the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, delivered a mature performance against the Scandinavian group-stage opponent. The team coached by Walid Regragui showed that it can still play at a high level two years after that historic run.

Italy Field a B-Team Against Greece

Unlike Norway and Morocco, Italy surprisingly failed to qualify for the World Cup. The Squadra Azzurra missed out on qualification and is now looking to regain confidence in friendlies. Against Greece, national team coach Luciano Spalletti fielded a B-team.

Against the Greeks, who also failed to qualify, the Italians ran out 1-0 (1-0) winners. Francesco Esposito scored the decisive goal as early as the 18th minute. Esposito, regarded as one of Italy's greatest striking talents, took his chance and secured the victory for the Italian team.

Esposito Scores for Italy

The win against Greece helps Italy process the frustration of surprisingly failing to qualify for the World Cup, at least a little, even with a B-team. The victory gives the young Italian side some momentum heading into upcoming challenges.

Norway now faces a final dress rehearsal before its World Cup opener. Ståle Solbakken's team will need to improve if it wants to play a role at the tournament. Morocco travels next to the USA to continue its World Cup preparations there.

Outlook on World Cup Preparations

The draw with Morocco shows that Norway is not yet in top form. Ödegaard's equalizer at least spared the team a defeat, but the overall performance raises questions. Coach Solbakken will need to work on cohesion in the coming days.

Italy, on the other hand, can take some confidence from the 1-0 win over Greece. Even though it has not made it to the World Cup finals, the young team is showing it can play a role in the future. Spalletti is deliberately placing his trust in the next generation.