Haaland gave me his shirt… but didn’t take mine
Image source, FAW/John Smith
Image caption, Ben Cabango was a member of Wales’ squad at the 2022 World Cup finals
- Published1 hour ago
Defender Ben Cabango will always have a memento to remind him of Wales’ memorable victory over Norway β Erling Haaland’s shirt.
Wales beat the World Cup quarter-finalists 2-1 in the Nations League with Cabango producing an outstanding display to keep Manchester City striker Haaland quiet.
The Swansea City defender revealed he asked Haaland for his shirt after the final whistle at the Cardiff City Stadium.
“I did grab it after the game,” Cabango said.
“He was just there, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ He just gave me the shirt… but he didn’t take mine.”
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Figure caption,
Wales 2-1 Norway Highlights
Cabango was recalled to Wales’ starting line-up following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Denmark in Copenhagen.
The 26-year-old had played in the opening Nations League game against Portugal in Lisbon, where he faced Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It is surreal to play against Ronaldo and Haaland in the same camp,” Cabango reflected.
“But it’s definitely where you want to be, stay around that for as long as possible.
“You learn a lot playing against these players.
“You’ve got to be concentrated throughout the game and you can’t switch off at any moment. That probably brings out the best side of me and it’s been good.”
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Goals from Dan James and Neco Williams β after Oscar Bobb had given Norway an early lead β secured Wales’ first win in seven games.
Cabango earned his 18th senior cap in what was also Wales’ first ever win in Nations League A.
“I’d probably say it was my best game for Wales,” Cabango added.
“I enjoyed the game, it was a good battle and we came out on top.
“I enjoy that side of the game. The ball’s there to be won and I’m going to try and win it 100 per cent of the time and today it paid off.
“We needed to bounce back from the last game and I felt we all did that as a collective. All the squad, the players that came on, it was a real good performance.”
Head coach Craig Bellamy praised the performance of Cabango and his defensive partner β captain Ben Davies β in subduing Haaland and Norway’s forwards.
“They were brilliant β really, really good,” Bellamy said.
“But the key part of that, which we mentioned before [the game] and the work we had done, was to keep them away from our box.
“It’s easier said than done but that’s why we were constantly pushing, constantly working to keep them as far away as we can.
“They were exceptional.”
