Wales travel to Oslo on Saturday to face Norway in the Nations League with a recent blueprint for stopping Erling Haaland, BBC Sport reported. The Manchester City striker has 65 goals in 59 games for his country. A month ago, though, Wales beat Norway 2-1 in Cardiff and limited him to 24 touches, two shots, and only one on target, a header straight at goalkeeper Danny Ward. "You're talking about trying to deal with one of the best players in his position in the world," Wales head coach Craig Bellamy said. "It's a collective responsibility, not just an individual one." The return match is at Ullevaal Stadion at 17:00 GMT and will be shown on BBC platforms.
Bellamy said some teams sit deep against Haaland, which can give him time and space, while a purely physical approach is risky against a powerful 6-foot-5 forward. Wales chose a high-risk, high-reward press. "Drive up and don't let him dictate," Bellamy said. "It's easier said than done because then you could turn around and say to me, 'Why are you playing a high line against Haaland?' Trust me you don't want to, but you can't have him dictating the game." A good player can look like a top player if given time, he argued, and a world-class player can be made to look more ordinary if he is not. "Putting pressure on the ball is always important for us, and I thought we did that really well that night."
Haaland can drift in and out of a match and still come alive in the box, so cutting off the supply mattered as much as the tackle count. That meant dealing with Norway captain Martin Ødegaard, the team's chief creator. Prevention, in Bellamy's account, was better than scrambling after the striker once a chance had been made.
The verified news is a tactical preview built on last month's result, not a prediction of another Welsh win in Oslo. Haaland's record remains formidable, and one successful defensive plan is a starting point, not a guarantee, when Wales walk out in Norway on Saturday. Saturday's kickoff gives Wales a rare chance to test that plan away from home, in front of a Norwegian crowd that will expect Haaland to be the difference, and in a Nations League group where every point still matters. Bellamy's comments were a preview, not a starting XI announcement, and they will be judged against the actual 90 minutes in Oslo, not against last month's highlight reel from Cardiff.