Erling Haaland and Norway Coach Solbakken Express Regret to Switzerland Over Substandard Field Conditions

Switzerland national team manager Murat Yakin voiced worries about the grass surface a day prior to the encounter, calling it riddled with "holes all over" after the harsh Norwegian winter.

Yakin pointed out that the grass at Ullevaal Stadion was in terrible condition, posing issues for their skilled approach to the game. Swiss media outlet SRF remarked on Tuesday night that the surface barely qualified as "grass".

After the match, Erling Haaland could not help but say sorry for the awful state of the field. "The surface was just not up to standard," he told NRK.no. "The previous time I was on something like this was a few years back in the Faroe Islands. Yet this one was even worse."

"The match was not ruined, but it came close, naturally. Switzerland, giving them credit, aims to play well, yet you notice errors they would avoid on a proper surface. So in a way, it helped us that the field was so bad, allowing us to capitalise on those slips, though it is far from ideal. I apologised to all involved, but this falls short of acceptable."

Solbakken admitted he had already said sorry to Murat Yakin on the Monday ahead of the fixture.