– He nods a brick if he has to. It wrote the TV profile Morten Langli on Twitter after Leo Østigård had dominated Norway’s central defense in the 1-0 victory against Serbia on Thursday night. Østigård, who is only 1.82 on the sock stone, won most duels with cash, smart and disrespectful defensive play. If he is looking in his trouser pockets for the Belgrade return trip, do not ignore the fact that he finds Serbia’s super striker Aleksandar Mitrovic among the assets. – Must have suffered a concussion The Fulham star was largely taken out of the match by solid stopper play by both Østigård and partner Stefan Strandberg. – I think he makes a fantastic match, Leo is simply rock solid in his own box. I think he has suffered a concussion after all the headings he had, says Marcus Holmgren Pedersen to news. Tough: Leo Østigård has become an uncompromising stopper. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB news expert Carl-Erik Torp called Østigård the best on the field, and the youngster also received praise in the country’s player exchanges. VG and Nettavisen both gave 7/10 on the scale, Dagbladet 6/10. – Both midfielders make a good match, and really the whole four make a good match. But Leo is in shape, has played a lot and has great self-confidence now. He has been allowed to use his legs a lot (in Italy), not just head as he did in the Championship. Both he and Stefan (Strandberg) are good today, Solbakken says to news after the match. – He is not the highest stopper, but he has enormous flexibility? – Yes, I do not know if he is trying to imitate Fabio Cannavaro in appearance as well, but he is very similar, says Solbakken. There is music in Østigård’s ears. – It’s my big idol. I want to be myself, but I have seen him a lot, and he is a bit the same type of player as me, says the Norway stopper. IDOLET: Fabio Cannavaro. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / Afp Another similarity is the height. With his 1.76, Cannavaro is also not the most elongated stopper, but was still known for being really good in the air. – Grandfather had to hold me tight This season, Østigård has impressed in Cannavaro’s home country for Genoa, where he has been on loan from Brighton. There have also been two red cards. In the press zone in Serbia late Thursday night, Østigård said that he has occasionally struggled with his temper. – I remember when I was younger, grandfather had to hold on. I get hot at the top sometimes, but the older you get, the more routine you get, and I love winning matches. That is mostly why, says Østigård. – Headed a ball since I was three Østigård says that it is no coincidence that he has got the head game as an x-factor despite his modest stopper height. – Flexibility is one thing, and timing is another. My father and I have trained a lot on that, and that was his great strength as well. I have headed a ball since I was three years old, and then you should be good at it, he says to news. Before the start of the match, the stopping place was the major element of uncertainty for the Norwegian team. Strandberg has hardly played football in the last six months, while Østigård had only played one A-national match before Thursday. But the collaboration with Stefan Strandberg went smoothly. – It was very nice to play with Stefan. We had a plan before the game, and we knew that was how it was going to be. We got 1-0, and then we became a little cowardly – but me and Stefan thrive in their own box. For us, it was quite nice. They got a couple of semi-fat chances, but it was very nice to win 1-0. That is the best thing for a defender, says Østigård after the match. – Such matches have gone wrong before The victory in Belgrade has given Norway an excellent starting point before the next matches in the National League. Østigård agrees with Stefan Strandberg that the three-pointer can be called a milestone for the Norwegian national team. – Yes, there are such matches that have gone a little wrong before. It is important to have some such matches where you become confident and win. Three points are extremely important, and that we keep zero is especially important away from home, says Østigård to news. Norway’s next match will be played against Sweden away next Sunday night at 20.45. Then two home matches against Slovenia on June 9 and Sweden again on June 12. The National League group game then ends with two matches in September against Slovenia (away) and Serbia (at home).
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