Haaland scores again as Norway crushes Italy in World Cup qualifier and Croatia cruises

Erling Haaland scored and Norway humbled Italy 3-0 for the first time in 25 years in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Friday.

Haaland collected a through ball from playmaker Martin Odegaard and rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the box for the third goal three minutes before halftime.

It was his 41st goal in his 42nd match for Norway to the delight of the spectators at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, including King Harald V of Norway.

Haaland also scored when Moldova was beaten 5-0 and Israel 4-2. Norway remained perfect in qualifying after three games in Europe Group I.

Striker Alexander Sorloth received a precise pass from Antonio Nusa then beat Donnarumma with a left foot shot. Nusa, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, was a constant threat to the Italian defense. He left behind two defenders and doubled the advantage with a rising shot from inside the area.

Italy was missing some regulars for its first qualifying match, while others failed to impress, including Mateo Retegui, the best Serie A scorer.

Defenders Alessandro Buongiorno and Mattia Gabbia, defensive midfielder Manuel Locatelli and forward Moise Kean were all injured while key center back Francesco Acerbi, who was meant to mark Haaland, turned down his callup.

Diego Coppola played center back in the three-man defensive line used by coach Luciano Spalletti that was not able to stop Norway.

In the other Group I game, Israel won in Estonia 3-1 for a second win and second place.

The Azzurri are under pressure from the start of their qualifying after failing to reach the last two World Cups.

Winning the group is the only way to ensure direct qualification to next year’s tournament in North America. The second-placed team goes into the playoffs — the stage where Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia and ruled out of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.

A four-time World Cup champion, the only other time Italy didn’t qualify was for the 1958 edition.

Italy hosts Moldova on Monday when Norway will be in action at Estonia.

Croatia opened its qualifying with a 7-0 rout of minnow Gibraltar.

Mario Pašalić and Ante Budimir struck twice for Croatia within two minutes to break the deadlock after half an hour. In the second half, substitutes Andrek Kramaric and Franjo Ivanovis scored a couple each and Ivan Perisic piled on.

Croatia was runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and third in 2022.

In the same Group L, Adam Hložek and Patrik Schick each scored as the unbeaten Czech Republic beat Montenegro 2-0 for a third straight win.

Belgium was 1-0 up on a goal by defender Maxim De Cuyper but Ezgjan Alioski salvaged a draw for North Macedonia in a surprise in Group J.

Wales tops the group with seven points from three games after a 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein. North Macedonia was two points behind.

Europe will have 16 teams in the expanded 48-team field for the World Cup.

They will come from the winners of the 12 qualifying groups plus four from a playoff of the 12 group runners-up together with four best-ranked group winners in the Nations League that don’t finish first or second in the qualifying.

The group stage of European qualifying runs through November.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Norway's Alexander Sørloth celebrates scoring with teammates during the qualifying World Cup soccer match between Norway and Italy at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Friday June 6, 2025. (Cornelius Poppe/NTB via AP)

Belgium's Maxim De Cuyper, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during a World Cup 2026 group J qualifying soccer match between North Macedonia and Belgium at National Arena Todor Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Italy's Alessandro Bastoni, left, and Diego Coppola challenge Norway's Erling Braut Haaland during the qualifying World Cup soccer match between Norway and Italy at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Friday June 6, 2025. (Cornelius Poppe/NTB via AP)

Norway's Erling Braut Haaland, right, celebrates scoring with Martin Ødegaard during the qualifying World Cup soccer match between Norway and Italy at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Friday June 6, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB via AP)

Norway's Antonio Nusa celebrates scoring during the qualifying World Cup soccer match between Norway and Italy at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Friday June 6, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Coco Gauff and Venus Williams could meet in the second round of the Australian Open, another potential chapter in a tennis tale that started with a 15-year-old on her Grand Slam debut beating a seven-time major winner at Wimbledon.

Gauff thanked Williams for being such an inspiration for her career after that win at the All England Club in 2019, saying “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”

She followed it up with a first-round win at the Australian Open in 2020.

Now she’s the No. 3 seed and a two-time major winner. The 45-year-old Williams has a wild-card entry for the Australian Open, where she’s playing for the first time in five years.

The tournament starts Sunday at Melbourne Park. When the draw was conducted Thursday, Gauff was drawn to open against No. 91-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova and No. 576-ranked Williams — who made her Australian Open debut in 1998 and has twice reached the final — was drawn to face No. 68-ranked Olga Danilovic in the first round.

Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.

To have any chance of facing Gauff again, she needs to do something she hasn't done in 2026: record a win. In the last two weeks, Williams played tournaments in New Zealand and in Hobart, losing in the first round at both.

After a 6-4, 6-3 win over Williams on Tuesday, Tatjana Maria said it was a tough one because “everyone loves Venus. I love her, too."

Gauff and Williams are in the same half of the draw as top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who won back-to-back Australian Open titles before losing last year's final to Madison Keys.

Sabalenka, who opened her season with a title in Brisbane last week, has a potential third-round meeting against 2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu.

Defending champion Keys, who lost her quarterfinal match at the Adelaide International to rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko in three sets on Thursday, was drawn into the same quarter as No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 4 Amanda Anisimova.

No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek, seeking a career Grand Slam with her first title at Melbourne Park, is in the bottom quarter on that side of the draw and has a potential fourth-round match against four-time major winner Naomi Osaka.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic landed in the same half of the draw, setting up a potential semifinal between the defending champion and the 24-time major winner.

Djokovic, who has won 10 Australian titles but hasn't gone past the semifinals at Melbourne Park since 2023, played an exhibition against Frances Tiafoe on Rod Laver Arena hours after the draw was made. He withdrew last week from a warmup tournament in Adelaide to give himself more time to be ready for the Open.

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz is on the opposite side to Sinner and Djokovic, and has Tiafoe and local hope and sixth-seeded Alex De Minaur in his quarter of the draw.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Coco Gauff of the United States plays a forehand return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)