Norway reeling from 'biggest setback'

Norway coach Åge Hareide has admitted he could "quit football" after a 2-1 home defeat by Turkey on Saturday dealt their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying ambitions a hammer blow.

'New low'
Victory in Oslo would have sent Norway to the finals with Wednesday's game in Malta to spare, but the reverse has left destiny out of their hands. Erik Hagen's early goal had put the team on course for three points before Emre Belözoglu and Nihat Kahveci turned the tie to leave Hareide crestfallen. "This was maybe the biggest setback of my career," he said. "I reached a new low after the game. Few words were exchanged in the dressing room; we all knew we had let everybody down."

The end?
Norway must now win in Malta and hope that a Bosnia-Herzegovina side who have lost four successive Group C matches take at least a point off Turkey in Istanbul. "We will definitely go for the win, and can only hope that Turkey drop points at home," continued Hareide, who had suggested earlier in the campaign that if his team failed to qualify he could stand down. He is revising that assessment now, although he has said that "if I decide to quit, I will almost certainly quit football altogether". Norway sit one point behind second-placed Turkey, with Greece having won the group.