A quick delivery through an Arsenal player in either half. Leo Ostigard and replacement Ohi Omoijuanfo both scored thanks to assists from Martin Odegaard, although Alan Browne only responded once in between.

The 2-1 victory over Norway puts a stop to their two-game losing streak, but Stephen Kenny and Ireland are left with more questions than answers.

           His Republic team had plenty of possession once more—Ireland had a clear advantage in that department in the first half—but failed to exert pressure on the opponent when it was necessary.

Instead, the Irish gave up two careless goals and continue to appear like a team that will struggle to contend when France visits Lansdowne Stadium in March.

Kenny frequently exaggerates the power of the opponents, from World Cup contenders Serbia and Portugal to lower-ranked countries like Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, Norway is comparable to Ireland in terms of strength of squad and execution of their game plan.

At halftime, Ireland's dominance percentage was 62 percent, and they had completed 292 more passes than Norway (171). However, Norway's movement had more shape, more ideas, and more structure, and their strategy of using Matt Doherty as a weak link worked.

             During that first half, Odegaard's deep runs were really threatening, and Fredrik Andre Pedersen's deft deliveries more than once presented a threat.

Additionally, the misbehaving males in green were causing difficulties of their own. Gavin Bazunu attempted to pass the ball to Josh Cullen on minute 24, but there was a misunderstanding, which allowed Jorgen Larsen to seize the opportunity, though he could have done more. Although Mohamed Elyounoussi's brilliant move and dash into the box on minute 33, following a lovely feed from Patrick Berg, caused some concern, Ireland were never fully challenged.

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Nathan Collins did well to stop an Elyounoussi pass on minute 39, but that corner backfired as Ostigard was fortunate to avoid John Egan and score his first goal for Norway.

Ireland had a different scenario in the second half and seemed dangerous from away.

Orjan Nyland, a former goalkeeper for Bournemouth, finally had to make a save after extended periods of persistent pressure; he was delighted to see Egan miss the target on the 49th minute.

After a wonderful through ball from Cullen, he stopped a header from Callum O'Dowda on the 61st minute.

Ireland's comeback was rewarded in the 68th minute when Browne produced a beautiful finish after Ostigard had removed O'Dowda's cross.

Under Kenny, Ireland has developed a reputation for scoring beautiful goals, and Browne's finish was exceptional. He was composed when the ball was passed to him and needed just one contact to set up his strike before finding the net.

When it appeared that the game would end in a tie, Norway made effective use of their bench. The older players Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, and Chiedozie Ogbene received early nods from Kenny, while Evan Ferguson, making his debut, received only five minutes of playing time and neither Will Smallbone nor Mark Sykes saw any action.

Soon after Ferguson entered the game, Norway's substitute Omoijuanfo scored his country's second goal, finishing expertly from close range after Ireland had carelessly allowed a free kick from Odegaard to into the box.

Ireland doesn't know where to seek for inspiration in Malta on Sunday, but Norway can now summon Haaland for their encounter against Finland at home.

There were no jeers at the conclusion of the game; rather, everyone was relieved that Ireland had only 90 more minutes of international play left in this forgettable year.

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