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Skullerud sky-high, Pearce deflated

"I can't describe how it feels to get a win like this," said Norway coach Tor Ole Skullerud after a 3-1 win over an England side whose display was "a disaster" according to Stuart Pearce.

Skullerud sky-high, Pearce deflated
Skullerud sky-high, Pearce deflated ©Getty Images

Tor Ole Skullerud, Norway coach
This victory can only compare to winning the cup with my club team; it's right up there. It's a great feeling, I can't describe how it feels to get a win like this. It's also very important for Norwegian football. This means a lot for us and there is a great interest in the team back in Norway. We've built on the identity of the team and when we get results like this it makes us proud. It also means a lot for the development of young Norwegian players.

I was not surprised [that England had more possession early on] but I would have liked to have kept the ball more too. We counterattacked England well in the first half and we were very efficient. We spoke at half-time about keeping the ball better and staying calm.

We created more chances than England. We were good with our counterattacks. England played well in possession but didn't create that many chances so I am happy with that. I am happy with my goalkeeper and defence, where we had to make many changes during the game but we stood up to the fight in our own area and I'm very satisfied with that.

There are so many good teams at this tournament but I have great hope in my players. I'm particularly proud of our team spirit. I'm very proud of that and it can take us far. The players are very optimistic at the moment. The players need things other than football to think about at a tournament like this. We tried our best to plan some spare time and we've had that on the beach. Of course we can't stay on the beach all the time but they enjoyed it, especially the surfing, which is important for our team spirit.

Stuart Pearce, England manager
We started and passed the ball well without cutting them open. We got into the mentality that suggested all we had to do was pass the ball and not do the defensive side of it and we switched off. Credit to the Norwegians, they took their chances very well albeit thanks to some very poor defending from us. Good luck to them, they've got a fantastic team spirit. All I can do is wish them well and guarantee that when we take to the field against Israel we will do everything we can to win the match.

We've got out of the tournament so far what we deserved, which isn't much. We have to make sure as a group that we try and beat Israel. There's disappointment for sure. I thought we passed the ball much better today. We didn't show the real energy to get at them and find a clever pass or a run in behind. We kept the ball and passed it well early on and I felt very comfortable, then all of a sudden they get a goal out of the blue.

Stuart Pearce was left disappointed
Stuart Pearce was left disappointed©Getty Images

Not enough of the players produced a performance befitting of them. They've got more quality than that and they didn't deliver that performance. When the dust settles on the Italian game you've got to bear in mind that they didn't have too many attempts and we defended reasonably well considering that the Italians had most of the possession. That performance wasn't a disaster but this one certainly was.

Wilfried [Zaha] found it very difficult as a lone striker against a very dogged Norwegian team who sat behind the ball and didn't want to come out. They looked at set plays and counterattacks and that was their style which was successful for them. We found it difficult to break them down. I'm pleased to have taken the team here and get that tournament experience but we have to learn the lessons from it and be stronger again in the next campaign.