Martin Odegaard shouted an X-rated slur at Bernardo Silva after the Portugal star launched a late tackle on the Norway captain during international duty.
The Arsenal midfielder was left furious after Silva kicked him in the ankle long after the ball was gone, sending him tumbling to the turf. Odegaard took it upon himself to discipline the Portugal player by yelling "f*** you" at his rival.
Silva received a yellow card for the foul, though critics argued the former Manchester City player was lucky to escape without a red card. Odegaard sat on the grass for a while to recover from his injury and appeared shaken after the match.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Odegaard expressed his frustration at the incident. "He completely lost his head," Odegaard said. "He just kicked me down long after I had played the ball. I didn't understand what he was doing."
The 27-year-old midfielder revealed that he had sustained a physical blow during the clash. "I took a knock to my ankle. It probably won't feel great tonight, but I'm hoping it clears up over the next few days," Odegaard added.
Odegaard, who plays as skipper for Premier League club Arsenal as well as his national team, faced significant injury problems last season. Fresh in everybody's minds is how Odegaard suffered seven separate injuries last season, causing him to miss 30 games for club and country.
Post-match reaction and confrontation
Silva, who has joined Real Madrid from Manchester City, was confronted over his behaviour by journalists in the mixed zone. The Portuguese playmaker kept on walking before turning to simply say: "That's football, my friend."
His adversaries did not find his kick within the acceptable bounds of football behaviour. Norway defender Leo Ostigard delivered a scathing review of Silva's tackle after viewing the footage.
"It's very late. When you see it afterwards on video, it's very ugly. It could well be red," Ostigard said. "It’s a terrible tackle. It’s just appallingly bad."
"That’s the sort of thing we don’t want to see for our captain," Ostigard continued. "When it comes that long after the play, it looks quite deliberate."
Ostigard noted that opponent frustration may have played a factor in the challenge on Norway's captain. "He was unlucky with a lot of injuries last year, and there’s nothing he can do about that," Ostigard added. "They’re going after him because he’s run rings around most of them in midfield. They’re obviously frustrated, but you can’t do things like that."
Norway manager Stale Solbakken also voiced concern regarding Odegaard's condition after the match. "He got a real bump on his ankle. It would be wise to get off the field to get ice and compression on," Solbakken added.
Portugal win Nations League encounter
Unfortunately for Norway, there was no good karma on the pitch as Portugal secured a 2-1 away victory in their Nations League fixture.
With Cristiano Ronaldo left to simmer on the bench, Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos scored either side of an Erling Haaland equaliser for Norway. The victory sent Portugal to the top of their League A group.
Norway will have the chance to have the last laugh, at least for now, when they travel to Norway on Sunday.
