Bernardo Silva dismisses Odegaard fury with 'It's football' after ankle injury scare

Martin Odegaard limped away from Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Oslo on Sunday with an ankle injury after a late challenge from Bernardo Silva, who shrugged off the Arsenal captain’s furious reaction with the words: “It’s football, my friend.”

Silva waited until Odegaard had released the ball before catching him at the back of the leg, drawing an immediate and visible confrontation from the Norwegian midfielder. Odegaard had no choice but to hobble off the pitch at full-time and required treatment before speaking to Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

“It doesn’t belong on a football field,” Odegaard said. “It’s a shame that people do that. It’s a head fog from him — just kicks me down long after I’ve played the ball away. I don’t understand what he’s doing.”

Odegaard declined to repeat what he had shouted at Silva during the match. “I don’t think we should do that on TV,” he said.

Despite the discomfort, Odegaard remained cautiously optimistic about his fitness. “I hope not,” he said when asked whether the knock would rule him out of action. “But I got a knock on my ankle there, so it probably won’t be good tonight.”

Norwegian commentator Simen Stamso Moller was equally unsparing in his assessment. “Look at Bernardo Silva. It’s completely unnecessary, it’s ugly,” he said during the broadcast.

The injury concern arrives at an awkward moment for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is already monitoring Germany forward Kai Havertz after he was forced to withdraw from international duty.

On the pitch, Joao Felix opened the scoring in Oslo before Erling Haaland equalised for Norway in the 51st minute. Goncalo Ramos restored Portugal’s lead just three minutes later to seal the win. Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute throughout.