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There’s something soothing about watching Erling Haaland comb his (long) hair on his own, before placing his hair behind his ear, even though, as shown, there are sessional professional stylists who can do that, prior to a photoshoot session pre-entry into the World Cup. So, while some of us have joined in the frenzy of getting his branded hair ties for MYR22 per piece (Sources reveal that he’s a minority owner of the then South Korea-based brand, before being acquired by a Norwegian hair accessory company), you should probably complete your haircare routine by getting his comb as well, especially if you’re that much of a fan.

Anyway, it’s good for you to know that the Norway team has not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, so to finally qualify for it once again in 2026 feels surreal for those who made the team. For the World Cup fans who had watched them play live, it’s even more exciting to know that they’d made it through to the quarter finals.

Norwegians enjoy a slower pace of life, which is reflected in a generally better work-life balance, compared to other countries where the stress and workload can be mounting each day, due to different work styles and use of communication technologies. So, I don’t know if that could have influenced the pace of the documentary. I’m not even talking about your comprehension of Norwegian, especially if you have yet to learn or acquire the language, particularly if you grew up in a different part of the world. By the way, Norwegian has different accents in different parts of the country, so what might work in Oslo might not work in Bryne, which is where the world’s most feared striker, Haaland, moved back to at the age of three (The older Haaland’s footballing career meant the younger Haaland was born in Leeds, England).

While it’s understood that “Norway: The Dark Horse” is about football and how the Norway team qualified for the World Cup, it would have been much better to also show viewers some trinkets of culture, especially for international audiences who may or may not have gone over (to the Scandinavian country before) or enjoyed a childhood there. For those who have been there, it would have been a perfect walk down memory lane, for those who have yet to hop on a plane to be there, it would have been even more intriguing.

Of course, you can expect lots of conversation and banter amongst the footballers in the dressing room, with Stale Solbakken giving his guys their last push or guidance, especially if they have not scored anything against their opponents or the situation comes to a draw, particularly in the first half of the game.

Like most humans, health scares and health issues are part and parcel of life, unless of course you have been blessed with a clean bill of health so far. So, I think that’s surely nice to know as well. What’s a game when its captain has to sit on the bench and watch from afar because he’s out due to injury?

For those who came in with the highest of expectations, Haaland is not interviewed that much/there was no commentary from him (unlike his other teammates), although you do hear his voice at points, and see him doing the “header” and “kicks” on the pitch that let Norway edge past their opponents. Strange for a goal machine. It also seems like it’s normal to play when there’s light rain, but to me, from the scenes shown, they hardly look like light rain. How on Earth did those players play in such conditions? And to see Haaland run that fast like there’s nothing obstructing him, even though there’s the rain, is madness. It’s no wonder he’s called the striking Viking – there’s even a book titled as such on him.

The “inaudible dialogue” just because there’s cheering or Norwegian-accented English can be a turnoff, especially when the pace of the documentary is as such. Not sure whether it’s a subtitling software glitch.

I seriously thought that episode two of the documentary was 1 hour and 51 minutes. It’s possible because of the slow pace of the episode. But, if you Google and take a look at the timestamp of the duration, it actually shows you 1 hour and 1 minute, making the second episode only longer by one minute.

At the same time, it’s nice to have insights from Antonio Nusa, Oscar Bobb, as well as the captain of the football team.

You also get commentary from analysts as well, apart from the football players themselves, other than some other key persons pertaining to the sport.

But something’s definitely missing – where were the parents of Haaland, or the parents or Martin Odegaard when Sorloth’s father was featured momentarily.

The row only got popular during the World Cup, so team Norway can’t be rowing for the documentary. But some form of music would have sped the pace of the episodic documentary. Perhaps a little of “Alt for Norge” would have been more uplifting and helped counter the slow pace for a brief moment. After all, most of us watching would know that Norway ended up securing their place in the World Cup, though they ultimately lasted through the quarter-final stage, after being beaten by England.

With or without this documentary, the Haaland effect shall remain for as long as possible. Fans are anticipating Norway’s “rowing” show of sportsmanship at the World Cup in 2030, hopefully with Haaland, and an improved strategy.

The two-episode sports documentary comes under the direction of Emil Trier, born to a Danish father and Norwegian mother, and was raised in Oslo, Norway.

“Norway: The Dark Horse” is available to Netflix subscribers.