Arsenal captain Odegaard fumes after Silva’s late tackle in Oslo
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard left the field visibly struggling after Bernardo Silva’s late challenge in Norway’s 2‑1 defeat to Portugal at Ullevaal Stadium on Sunday night, the Nations League encounter that kept Portugal unbeaten this year. The Portuguese side, led by Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos who each scored around Erling Haaland’s 51st‑minute strike, maintained their perfect record.
Norway began the match by winning the ball deep inside their own half, with Odegaard finding Andreas Schjelderup near the edge of his penalty area. The midfielder then suffered a nasty blow to the ankle when Silva, a former Manchester City player now at Real Madrid, made contact.
Silva’s challenge sparks fury
The challenge came in stoppage time and left Odegaard visibly livid, mouthing an expletive towards Silva as they faced each other. He continued to protest long after the whistle, clearly struggling as the minutes ticked down in Oslo.
Odegaard told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that Silva ‘just kicked me down long after I had played the ball away’, adding ‘It doesn’t belong on a football field, it’s a shame that people do that’. He later said the ankle knock ‘probably won’t be good tonight but I’m betting it will be fine in the next few days’.
Portugal’s unbeaten run
Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos each struck either side of Erling Haaland’s 51st‑minute goal, preserving Portugal’s 100 percent record in this year’s Nations League on Sunday night. The Portuguese, having beaten Wales 1‑0 in their opening clash, now sit top of Group A4 ahead of a Thursday trip to Copenhagen to face Denmark.
Norway defender Leo Ostigard described the challenge as ‘very late and ugly’, suggesting it looked quite deliberate. Portuguese centre‑back Goncalo Ramos, who scored the decisive goal, echoed the sentiment, saying ‘It could well have been red, it’s terribly ugly, it’s just terribly bad’.
Arsenal fans and club response
Arsenal supporters expressed anger on social media, with one fan branding Silva a ‘coward’ and accusing him of a cheating culture. Arsenal reporter Charles Watts tweeted that Odegaard’s fury was understandable, noting that Silva appeared to have ‘gone out purely to hurt him’. Silva later shrugged, replying ‘It’s football, my friend’.
The ankle knock will be a concern for Arsenal, as Odegaard hopes to recover before Norway’s next Nations League fixture away to Wales on Thursday. This injury could affect his availability for Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League games, though the club has not confirmed any expected absence.
If Odegaard can shake off the knock, he will be ready for both club and country duties, but the incident has already sparked debate over player safety in high‑intensity internationals.