Odegaard: Norway's reliable captain and chief conductor at the World Cup

[p]After [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/norway-8rP6JO0H/?mid=tx2IC6G7"]Tuesday's scalp of Ivory Coast[/a], the captain of the Norwegians grabbed the drum and drumsticks and set the rhythm for Norway's rowing celebration of victory. More than just a symbol, as he also leads the team on the pitch.[/p][p][b]Coach Staale Solbakken can rely on him. In each of his three appearances in America so far, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/odegaard-martin/ID32TGhp/"]Odegaard[/a] has provided an assist and has always earned a rating above 7.0 from Flashscore (most recently even reaching 7.7).[/b][/p][embed guid="bf888b4d-38a8-4c72-927f-d15fdb1981c0" url="https://x.com/OptaJohan/status/2072017408458367290?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]And his performances are trending upwards; in the opening round of the knockouts, he posted his best numbers yet. He was especially effective in the second half, breaking down the orange defensive wall of the Ivorians in an effort to get the ball into the box to the patiently waiting Haaland.[/p][p][b]He sent nine passes into the penalty area, six of which found a teammate. That means he was responsible for half of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway's[/a] successful entries into the most dangerous part of the pitch.[/b][/p][p]Most of the team's attacks went through him, with statisticians counting a total of 90 touches on the ball. Of those, he played the ball forward 18 times - the most of any player in the match.[/p][p]A textbook example of his creativity was the build-up to the first goal. Just past the halfway line, he set things in motion with a through ball between two lines, then moved up to a position just outside the box. From there, he played a longer pass to the open [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nusa-antonio/rHwRvHQp/"]Antonio Nusa[/a], who won his one-on-one and fired precisely into the corner.[/p][image alt="Map of Odegaard's passes against Ivory Coast" id="89030d28-aeb3-48ac-afd5-88135710e0a5" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="92c6b5a1-502e-46ab-b1ca-82c241ff2370" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]It was Norway's first goal in World Cup knockout matches since 1938, when Arne Brustad scored. Coincidentally, he was born on the same day as the Titanic disaster (April 14th, 1912). But with Odegaard on the pitch, Norway faces no such disasters...[/p][p][b]Their biggest star, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a], did warn in advance that the team has only slim chances of success in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/norway-8rP6JO0H/?mid=tpOhKWcC"]Round of 16 against Brazil[/a], but the Selecao can only envy Arsenal's midfield maestro.[/b][/p][p]The question remains whether the Brazilian coaching staff, led by Carlo Ancelotti, will prepare a plan after three tournament appearances to blunt his playmaking weapons. So far, no opponent has managed it. Whether that changes or not will determine Norway's fate in the tournament.[/p][p][b]Alongside the World Cup, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/rating/WtG2SIIU/"]Flashscore has introduced a new football player rating system[/a]. Whether you're a casual fan of the beautiful game or love to dive into the data, this is the perfect player rating for you![/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]