Martin Ødegaard condemns Bernardo Silva's tackle as unacceptable

Martin Ødegaard made it clear on Sunday that he finds the late tackle by Bernardo Silva in the Nations League match between Norway and Portugal (1‑2) unacceptable, while the Portuguese dismisses his action as part of the game.

Ødegaard condemns the tackle

In injury time, Silva charged at Ødegaard and gave him a blow to the right knee, after Ødegaard had already passed the ball to a teammate. The referee showed Silva a yellow card for the foul. Ødegaard, who then limped through the catacombs of the stadium, accused the Portuguese of thoughtless action.

In an interview with TV2, Ødegaard said: “This does not belong on a football pitch. I don’t understand what he did. He has completely lost his mind.” He added that Silva had not offered any apologies and that he “doesn’t know what he is doing”. Ødegaard emphasized that such behaviour is “a shame” and “does not belong”.

Ødegaard also indicated that he could no longer commit to a corner kick in the final phase, suggesting a possible short injury. However, he hoped that it “will get better in the coming days”. The Norwegian captain looks forward to the upcoming Nations League matches against Wales on Thursday and a return against Portugal on Sunday.

Silva and Portugal defend the action

Silva later responded to the accusations and said: “Which tackle? That’s football, my friend.” His teammate Gonçalo Ramos, who scored the winning goal, downplayed the incident: “These kinds of things happen in every match. It’s part of the game.”

The Portuguese side emphasized that Silva had only entered the fray a few minutes earlier and that the yellow card was the only sanction. There is no official apology towards Ødegaard.

Regarding the broader context, the Nations League match was played on Sunday and ended with a narrow victory for Portugal (1‑2). The Norwegian team will hope that Ødegaard’s international period is not yet over, while Portugal focuses on the next group‑stage fixtures.