Before Norway, there were only two teams in history that could beat Italy twice in a single tournament.

When Norway defeated Italy 3-0 at home in the first round of Group I of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers, perhaps fans around the world were worried that Italy would miss three consecutive World Cups, but at the same time they were also looking forward to the second round, when Italy returned to home to make a strong comeback and reverse the situation. But unfortunately, if there is a tie in the European World Cup preliminaries, we first look at the total goal difference. In this regard, Norway has almost achieved the ultimate goal, leaving Italy several blocks behind. Therefore, even if Italy can win the second round of the two sides, they are unlikely to close the gap in goal difference.

What's more, they didn't win either. Moreover, just like the first round, they lost a net of three goals and lost 1:4 at home. After this game, Norway will 100% lead to the United States, Canada and Mexico. This is the first time in 28 years that they have achieved this, and it is also the first time in the 21st century. Haaland, Odegaard and others are considered heroes of Norway. 3:0, 4:1, Norway actually beat Italy 7:1 in two rounds. Throughout the history of Italian football, such defeats are rare.

Keyword, double kill. A double play refers to an event involving two rounds, where one side wins two over the other. Whether it's the knockout rounds or the group stage, there are always opportunities for double play. Even in a month-long tournament like the World Cup or European Cup, the two teams may meet again in the knockout rounds after meeting in the group stage. In this situation, there may also be a famous scene of double kill. The most classic one is the Greek myth of the 2004 European Cup. Greece defeated Portugal twice in the group stage and final. Okay, back here in Italy. Italy is a veteran powerhouse in world football, with good results in both the World Cup and the European Cup. Therefore, their historical results in the world preliminaries or European Cup qualifiers are also very good, and they rarely lose to Maicheng. Of course, the lowest point that impressed us most was the absence of Italy in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. But in fact, Italy's final exit from these two World Cup preliminaries was a pity. Once, it was eliminated by its opponent with one draw and one loss in the play-offs. The other time, it unexpectedly lost to North Macedonia in the first round of the play-offs and was directly eliminated. In these two World Cup qualifying tours, Italy did not experience a double play. Speaking of which, this was the first time Italy was beaten twice in a single tournament, and their opponents had some connections with Norway - both came from Northern Europe. This team is Sweden. In the 2018 World Cup qualifying play-offs mentioned earlier, the team that had one win and one draw against Italy was Sweden. Sweden humiliated Italy as early as the 1984 European Cup qualifiers. At that time, Italy's results were 1 win, 3 draws and 4 losses, and they did not reach the main draw. Of the four losses, two were due to Sweden - 0:3 at home and 0:2 on the road. Losing like this, the shame index is no less than the two losses to Norway at 0:3 and 1:4. After Sweden, England was the second country to double defeat Italy in a single tournament. The event was the 2024 European Cup qualifiers. England beat Italy 2:1 away and 3:1 at home. However, because Italy finished second in the group, they still entered the 2024 European Cup. Being double-killed by England was just a disgraceful episode. Although Italy has been at a low point in recent years, it has to be said that Norway has shown its face by being able to double defeat this established and powerful team in world football. From this dimension, Norway is already comparable to England two years ago and Sweden 42 years ago. In addition, of the three teams that double defeated Italy, two are from Northern Europe and one is from the British Isles. They are all teams from the north of Europe. Such a team has a tough style of play, strong body, and strong impact. This may be something that Italy, as a Latin group in Europe, is more afraid of. If there is a team that can double defeat Italy in the future, there is a high probability that it will still be this kind of team. Of course, the important thing is that Italy must find itself quickly.