Paris 2024 | First half outburst, enough for Norway to clinch win in opener against Argentina

Norway rode a fantastic first half performance, where they beat their record of number of goals scored in a single half at the Olympics, to a clear 36:31 win against Argentina, opening their account at Paris 2024.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP B
Norway vs Argentina 36:31 (22:15)

Before their opener at Paris 2024, the largest number of goals scored by Norway in the first half of a match at the Olympics was 15, in their 32:29 win against France at Tokyo 2020. They improved that record on Saturday afternoon in the South Paris Arena 6, by scoring 50% more goals, putting 22 past the South American team in the first half.

The pivotal moment of the match came early, when Norway scored eight unanswered goals, to turn the match on its head, transforming a 3:1 Argentina lead to a 9:3 lead for the Scandinavian side. Several players were instrumental, but left back Tobias Grondahl and right wing Kristian Bjornsen were their team’s best scorers, with six goals apiece, really fuelling Norway’s excellent run.

Argentina tried everything, but their defence did not work, as Norway had an otherworldly 92% shooting efficiency, missing only two of the 24 shots they tried, while the South American side simply could not keep the rhythm imposed by Norway, which came here to deliver a good performance, which simply blew their opponents out of the water.

But Norway lost crucial left back Sander Sagosen, who conceded a red card in the final minutes of the first half, with their attacking output dropping slightly in the start of the second half. Turnovers, some misses – which saw Norway’s attacking efficiency drop under 80% - and Argentina’s resurgence saw the South American side cut the gap to five goals, with 16 minutes to spare.

The South American side even came closer, to four goals, but every time they really looked to finally master a comeback, they made a mistake or two, missing open-goal shots or turning the ball over. Grondahl, in turn, had one of his best matches in his career for Norway, with eight goals, seconded by Bjornsen, who added six goals, as Norway proved to be too strong for Argentina.

Argentina did try their utmost, with 11 out of their 12 outfield players scoring at least one goal, led by veteran centre back Diego Simonet, with five goals, but their comeback attempt was too little, too late, while Norway carefully managed their first-half lead and clinched the two points, 36:31.

The South American side will surely lament that run of eight minutes and 14 seconds without a goal, which helped Norway gain a footing and basically saw the Scandinavian side run away with the win, one which could prove to be crucial for the battle for a quarter-finals berth, with a very, very close Group B predicted.