It was a simple technical move, but effective.
In just a few quick motions, Christian Eriksen dropped his shoulder and glided right past both Theodore and Ole Selnæs.
"Eriksen is really starting to show his world-class pedigree!" Peter noted. "Using that exquisite footwork, he just instantly took the Norwegian midfield out of the equation. Truly worthy of a Premier League star."
Just as his co-comntator Jim Beglin was about to heap more praise on the Spurs playmaker, Eriksen suddenly felt a heavy presence closing in on his blind spot.
It was Theodore.
After getting beaten, the teenager didn't just stand there feeling sorry for himself.
He turned and sprinted back at full speed, relentlessly hunting Eriksen down. He didn't bother attempting a clean tackle—he just clipped Eriksen's heels and sent the Danish star crashing hard into the turf.
The referee imdiately blew his whistle, rushing over to shove a yellow card straight in Theodore's face.
"A cynical foul from the teenager!" Peter shouted. "In his debut match, Theodore Bjorn has not only provided a brilliant assist but also earned himself a yellow card!"
Though he was booked, the nasty foul successfully killed a highly dangerous Danish attack.
It was well worth taking the hit.
If Eriksen had managed to slip that ball into the penalty area, the consequences could have been fatal for Norway.
The match quickly turned into a gritty dogfight in the midfield. Even though this was supposedly a friendly, neither side was holding back.
The pitch was full of crunching sliding tackles and petty fouls.
The Norwegians focused heavily on suffocating Eriksen, while the Danes double-tead Theodore and Ødegaard at every opportunity.
The 40th minute approached.
The first half was bleeding out, and the Danish players were growing visibly frustrated.
On paper, Denmark had the superior squad. Going into halfti drawing 1-1 against Norway was a bitter pill to swallow for the traveling fans.
Danish manager Åge Hareide waved his arms frantically on the touchline, barking at his players to push higher up the pitch.
They wanted the lead before the whistle blew.
With Eriksen getting tightly marked out of the ga, Ajax midfielder Lasse Schøne stepped up to orchestrate.
After receiving a pass from Andreas Christensen deep in his own half, Schøne suddenly launched a raking long ball forward.
Three seconds later, the ball dropped perfectly into Martin Braithwaite's path out on the left flank.
Braithwaite found himself in a pure one-on-one footrace with the Norwegian defender. He didn't hesitate. Tapping the ball forward with his left boot, he accelerated hard down the outside channel, trying to use his raw pace to beat his man to the byline.
But the defender held his ground, slowing the winger down. Before Braithwaite could find an opening to cross, Theodore had already tracked all the way back to help double-team him.
Theodore knew Braithwaite's ga well.
Instead of diving in, the teenager relied on his bread and butter: brute physical confrontation.
He dropped his shoulder and slamd heavily into Braithwaite's side.
The Danish winger was strong, but he couldn't handle Theodore's raw power.
Under the suffocating pressure from both Norwegian players, Braithwaite was muscled off the ball.
"A brilliant interception by Theodore Bjorn!" Beglin praised. "He has been everywhere tonight, Peter. Assisting, intercepting, and taking a yellow card for the team. If I'm Lars Lagerbäck, I am writing his na in pen on the team sheet for the Euro qualifiers against Spain next week. He plays like a veteran!"
After winning the ball deep in his own half, Theodore had two imdiate options: ping it up to the striker, Mohad Elyounoussi, or slip it to Ødegaard on the right flank.
Without a second thought, Theodore fed Ødegaard.
He trusted the Real Madrid loanee's individual brilliance.
In a flash, Theodore unleashed a cross-field long pass.
The ball soared beautifully over the heads of Christensen and Stryger Larsen, dropping right into Ødegaard's stride in the inside-right channel.
This was Ødegaard's favorite hunting ground.
Despite facing heavy defensive pressure as he controlled the ball, Ødegaard didn't look to pass.
He dropped his shoulder—a sharp fake inside, followed by another quick feint to open up the angle on his left foot.
He unleashed a fierce shot.
The ball tore through the freezing air like a bullet, ripping past Kasper Schichel and into the back of the net.
2-1!
Norway had retaken the lead!
"It's Martin Ødegaard again!" Peter Drury roared over the deafening crowd. "And the provider is once again Theodore Bjorn! A brace for Ødegaard, and a brace of assists for the 17-year-old debutant! These two young Norwegians are putting on a masterclass tonight!"
The Ullevaal Stadion erupted. Tens of thousands of Norwegian fans leaped from their seats.
The intimidating thunderous rhythm of the Viking Clap echoed around the stadium, shaking the concrete.
On the pitch, Ødegaard sprinted straight toward the corner flag, dropping into an emotional knee slide.
He was overjoyed!
It had been a long ti since he'd bagged a brace for his country and the teenager had just served it to him on a silver platter.
He pointed straight at Theodore, waiting for the midfielder to catch up before grabbing him in a massive hug.
"That's an incredible pass, Theo!" Ødegaard shouted over the noise. "You keep putting them there, and I'll keep finishing them!"
On the touchline, Lars Lagerbäck let out a massive sigh of relief, a proud smile breaking across his weathered face.
This lethal connection between his two wonderkids was exactly what he had prayed for.
The referee blew his whistle a few minutes later, bringing a chaotic first half to an end.
Norway was walking down the tunnel with a 2-1 lead over their fierce rivals.
During the halfti break, English football Twitter and major sports forums instantly caught fire.
Fans were losing their minds over the teenager's sensational international debut, flooding tilines with clips of his gritty tackles and pinpoint passes.
...
Sky Sports: Teenager Makes Dream Debut! Theodore Bjorn Assists Twice in the First Half!
The Athletic: A Lethal Connection! Theodore Bjorn and Ødegaard Run the Show Against Denmark! Norway Leads 2-1 at Halfti! Theodore Bjorn on the Verge of a Debut Victory!
On social dia, the fans were buzzing over the teenager's dominant first half.
"Proof that Theo is the real deal, club or country!"
"He basically pocketed Eriksen in that first half. Unreal."
"So glad he's playing for Norway. The Chinese must be kicking themselves."
"With Theo feeding him, Ødegaard is going to score for fun."
Down in the ho locker room, Norwegian manager Lars Lagerbäck was buzzing with his team's gritty first-half display.
He made sure to single out his young debutant.
"Brilliant shift out there, Theo. Keep that exact sa intensity," Lagerbäck praised, clapping a heavy hand on the teenager's shoulder.
"Keep this up, and you're walking straight into the starting eleven against Spain next week."
"Yes, boss. I'm ready," Theodore nodded, keeping his focus locked.
Fifteen minutes later, the second half kicked off.
Norway started with the ball.
Despite holding a 2-1 lead, the Norwegians didn't sit back to defend.
They wanted blood!
If they could bag a third, they weren't going to settle for two.
Just two minutes in, they were already knocking on Denmark's door.
In the center of the park, Ole Selnæs received a pass and didn't even blink—he imdiately swept the ball out to Theodore.
Over the first 45 minutes, the senior players had been won over by the kid's vision.
Whenever there was a tight gap, they trusted him with the ball.
The second Theodore took his touch at the edge of the penalty area, the Danish midfield sward him.
Lasse Schøne and Thomas Delaney closed the gap in a flash.
During the halfti break, Danish boss Åge Hareide had laid down the law.
He ordered his defensive midfielders to suffocate the teenager the second he got on the ball. No giving him an inch to breathe.
"Schøne and Delaney imdiately double-team Theodore!" Peterr noted. "Denmark has clearly identified the 17-year-old as the main threat. What's he going to do here?"
Theodore didn't try to be a hero and dribble his way out.
He knew his limits.
Sure, he could use his raw power to try and bully his way through, but that was a massive coin toss.
Plus, international referees were a lot less forgiving than the refs back in the Championship.
A gritty shoulder charge that flew under the radar in England might get whistled for a foul here.
Playing it smart, he took a soft touch with his left foot and slipped the ball straight back to Ødegaard on the right flank.
Ødegaard found himself in a pure one-on-one against Jens Stryger Larsen.
The Udinese full-back had his hands full. Ødegaard dropped two lightning-fast step-overs, freezing the defender, before chopping the ball sharply inside onto his lethal left foot.
Larsen couldn't keep up.
Ødegaard surged into the box and pulled the trigger. But just as the ball left his boot, Andreas Christensen threw his body into the firing line.
The 23-year-old Chelsea center-back was a rock at the back. His crucial sliding block deflected the shot away from danger.
The loose ball bounced around before falling right back into Theodore's path near the edge of the box.
Up in the stands, Xia Dongguo jumped out of his seat.
"Shoot, Theo! Put your laces through it!" he roared, hoping to see his boy score on his debut.
But Theodore ignored the shout. Without a second thought, he whipped his right foot through the ball, sending a sweeping curling cross deep into the penalty area.
The ball hung beautifully in the freezing air, spinning straight toward the towering Norwegian striker, Bjørn Maars Johnsen.
Standing at a massive 196cm, Johnsen was a nightmare to defend.
He launched himself into the air.
But Simon Kjær and Christensen weren't going down without a fight. They flanked the big striker, jumping with him. Kjær was 190cm and Christensen was 187cm—they had the muscle to challenge him.
Under the heavy, crushing pressure of the two Danish center-backs, Johnsen couldn't get clean contact.
His weak header floated easily into the gloves of Kasper Schichel.
The second Schichel plucked the ball out of the air, Christian Eriksen threw his arm up.
The Spurs maestro wanted it fast.
Schichel didn't hesitate. He launched a massive, booming punt right down the middle of the pitch.
The ball sailed over the midfield and dropped perfectly into Eriksen's stride.
Eriksen killed the ball dead and imdiately hit the gas, charging hard through the center of the park.
"Get back! Stop him!" Lars Lagerbäck scread from the touchline, the panic clear in his voice.
Selnæs and Håvard Nordtveit scrambled desperately to cut off Eriksen's run.
They closed in from both sides, trying to trap him.
But Eriksen didn't even break a sweat.
Without breaking his stride, the Danish playmaker coolly slipped a pinpoint, splitting through ball right past the scrambling defenders.
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