The national football team of Norway were given a national homecoming on Saturday with thousands of fans lining the streets of Oslo outside the Royal Palace to accept a tour de force in the sport of football.
Though they had been beaten 2-1 in the quarter-final of the World Cup in extra-time in Miami, more than 90,000 fans lined the palace square to cheer them on. In the tournament, the nation registered its finest-ever showing in a FIFA World Cup, and it was a moment of pride for the nation when the team returned.
The eager players were greeted by the fans on stage, and they joined them in singing the now-famous “Viking Row” song, which became the signature of a world Cup-loving country. The festivities started with the players greeting the Norwegian royal family, followed by a nearly two-hour victory bus parade along the street Karl Johans gate, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The party then continued in Rådhusplassen, performed the Viking row once again with the crowd, after which the party continued late into the night.
Fans to the forefront, Captain Martin Ødegaard thanked them for their overwhelming support during the tournament.
No one, I don’t think, could have predicted this and the assistance that we have received is not only way beyond expectations in the U.S. but at home in Norway as well. It’s been absolutely incredible to see,” Ødegaard said.
Head coach Ståle Solbakken even said that the team had prepared him for the extraordinary reception, following from how large the celebrations got.
But the Norwegian top scorer Erling Haaland wasn’t able to attend the public celebrations as he had to leave quickly for Italy, ahead of his travel schedule.
The incredible homecoming was testimony to how much the nation values a team that took on the history of going to the FIFA World Cup quarter-final for the first time.