Norway’s 1994 World Cup appearance was their first since 1938, and after the ’98 tournament in France, they never made it back until now. On Tuesday in Boston, the Røde, Hvite, Blå fielded three players whose dads all played together for the national team in 1994.

A Family Legacy

Former goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt admitted to CNN Sports that he had tears running down his cheeks in anticipation of his son, Kristian, taking the field against Iraq. “It’s like a fairytale that is coming true,” Gøran Sørloth described to CNN about seeing his son lead the line alongside Erling Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge also played in the ’94 tournament.

Norway’s 1994 World Cup appearance was marked by a cruel group stage exit. They beat Mexico, lost to Italy and drew with The Republic of Ireland, and every team in their group finished with an identical goal difference and four points. Norway had only conceded one goal, but unfortunately, they had only scored one goal, and that sealed their fate.

A New Generation

Now, their sons are continuing the legacy. Midfielder Patrick Berg is the son of another Norwegian international – Ørjan Berg won 19 caps between 1988 and 2000. Erling Haaland is a big reason for their revival; bearing a striking resemblance to a Norse god – and with an aura to match – his goalscoring prowess makes some think Norway could be a dark horse for the tournament.

“He’s scored more than a goal per match for Norway,” explained Thorstvedt. “I mean, if you do that for Man City, it’s incredible, but for Norway, it’s ridiculous. We haven’t been that good and to score more than a goal per match is out of this world. We are so lucky to have him.”

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.