Bernardo Silva had been on the pitch for barely three minutes when he caught Ødegaard on the ankle in stoppage time, long after the Norway captain had released the ball. The referee showed a yellow card. Ødegaard confronted him on the spot, in words he later said were not fit for broadcast.

“I don’t think we should do that on TV,” Ødegaard told TV 2 after the match, when asked what he had said to Silva.

His verdict on the challenge itself was sharper.

“It doesn’t belong on a football field. It’s a shame that people do that,” Ødegaard said.

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“It’s mindless from him. He just kicks me down long after I’ve played the ball away. I don’t understand what he’s doing.”

The Arsenal captain limped from the pitch after the final whistle and left the stadium walking gingerly. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said his captain had received treatment on his ankle, and when asked whether Ødegaard would be available for Thursday’s fixture against Wales he replied that he could not answer.

Silva: ‘It’s football, my friend’

Silva, brought on in the 87th minute in place of Pedro Neto, offered no apology as he left the stadium. Asked by reporters what Ødegaard had said to him after the tackle, the Real Madrid midfielder gave a four-word answer.

“It’s football, my friend.”

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Norway team-mate Patrick Berg was less charitable. He told Norwegian broadcasters the tackle was deliberate, and that anyone who understood the game could see as much.

Portugal’s Ramos punishes Norway

The incident overshadowed a defeat that leaves Norway chasing Portugal in Group A4 of the Nations League. João Félix put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute at Ullevaal Stadion, Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half, and Gonçalo Ramos restored the holders’ lead almost immediately to seal a 2-1 win for Portugal.

“It’s a great win on a difficult away trip,” Ramos said afterwards.

The Arsenal problem

Ødegaard’s ankle is the concern Arsenal supporters will care about. The 27-year-old said he was hoping the knock would settle in the coming days, but there is no diagnosis yet, and he is due to play again for Norway inside a week if fit.

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The wider concern for Mikel Arteta is familiar: a captain injured on international duty by a challenge his own manager never sanctioned, in a stoppage-time incident that carried little sporting purpose. Kai Havertz is already sidelined with a hamstring problem before Arsenal return to Premier League action against Leeds United on 10 October.

Norway host Wales on Thursday before travelling to Portugal on Sunday. Solbakken did not commit to a return date for his captain.

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