England vs. Norway First Goalscorer Best Bets
- Nico O’Reilly, England (+2800)
- Antonio Nusa, Norway (+1800)
First Goalscorer Picks for England vs. Norway
Nico O’Reilly, England (+2800)
It has been a brilliant first major tournament with England for Nico O’Reilly. The 21-year-old emerged as England’s best option at left-back after an amazing season with Manchester City. O’Reilly didn’t even make his senior debut with the club until the 2024-25 season, but he impressed enough to sign a big new contract before the 2025-26 season. He was a regular part of the Manchester City XI last season and was one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League. O’Reilly was awarded the Manchester City Player of the Season and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards.
His fantastic work for his club got him the call-up to play for his country in 2025. O’Reilly had only five caps before this World Cup, but has doubled that by playing in all five games in this competition. With the revolving door at right-back for England, the stability and quality of O’Reilly at left-back have been much needed.
O’Reilly is not only strong defensively but also bombs forward and gets into attacking areas. For Manchester City, he even spent some time playing more as a midfielder so he could be on the ball more. He is very gifted with the ball at his feet and creates goals. Last season, he scored nine goals and registered six assists for Manchester City. He is yet to score a goal for England, but it seems like only a matter of time.
O’Reilly has taken at least one shot in all five England games so far at this competition. He could get his head on the end of a set piece, or slip through the back line and find an opening on goal. At this number, it’s worth the long shot on O’Reilly to score first.
Antonio Nusa, Norway (+1800)
Erling Haaland has been the superstar for Norway at this tournament, stealing all of the headlines with his remarkable goal-scoring record. However, this Norwegian team is much more well-rounded than it gets credit for. One of the bright spots on the team, aside from Haaland, has been the young winger Antonio Nusa. Nusa is only 21 years old and plays his club football at RB Leipzig. However, he is expected to get a transfer to the Premier League following this World Cup. He is a creative winger who is willing to take defenders on and try to create a goal.
Arsenal and Tottenham seem locked in a bidding war for the young Norwegian talent. His incredible goal against the Ivory Coast surely boosted Nusa’s price tag. He scored the first goal of the match for Norway in that Round of 32 meeting with the Ivory Coast. It was a fantastic goal for Nusa, and he proved what he is capable of on that left wing.
Nusa will have a big advantage in this match. England is without a fit right-back at the moment. Jarell Quansah will be suspended for this game, while Reece James is injured. There is a chance James could be ready to return for this match, but he would not be at full fitness. It will either be a hobbled James, a left-back like Djed Spence, or a makeshift fullback like Declan Rice. All of those options would struggle to deal with Nusa down that flank. With all eyes on Haaland, Nusa could become the first goalscorer in a match for Norway for the second time in this knockout stage.
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