Internationals

Tangvik at the World Cup: “This is something special for our country”

The HSV goalkeeper is making history with Norway at the World Cup, while England now await in the quarter-finals.

Norway’s ‘rowers’ have arguably been the biggest surprise of the World Cup. Back at the tournament for the first time in 28 years, the national team have now reached the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. England await at 23:00 CEST on Saturday – and HSV goalkeeper Sander Tangvik is right at the heart of it all.
“This is something special for our country. We can be proud of ourselves, regardless of what happens against England,” Tangvik told HSV.de from the USA. The Trondheim-born goalkeeper was selected as Norway’s third choice and has therefore watched the matches from the bench. He almost made an appearance in the final group game against France, a 4-1 defeat in which national team coach Ståle Solbakken changed almost his entire starting XI. Back-up goalkeeper Egil Selvik, who replaced Ørjan Nyland, required treatment during the match. “I was close to coming on,” Tangvik revealed. “I would have been ready had the opportunity arisen. I’d already warmed up.” Selvik was ultimately able to continue.

Norway subsequently knocked Ivory Coast out in the round of 32 before eliminating record world champions Brazil in the last 16. “It’s incredible. It’s a crazy story to be part of this World Cup journey and this team. It’s a dream come true for me,” Tangvik said. And that journey is not over yet. The goalkeeper is expecting a difficult game against England: “England are a great team and very well organised. They’re the favourites, but we still have a good chance of beating them. We’ve shown that we can make life difficult for anyone.”

Tangvik believes Norway have the best striker in the world in Erling Haaland. The 25-year-old is among the leading scorers at the tournament with seven goals. “Erling is a goal machine. I’m not surprised he’s scored so many. He’s a fantastic guy and works incredibly hard,” Tangvik said. Norway have also been backed by a set of supporters who have gone viral during the World Cup. During matches, they shout “Ro!” – Norwegian for “row” – while making a rowing motion. The players and fans then perform the celebration together after the final whistle. “The rowing celebration came about spontaneously after the first game, when we went over to join the fans. It was a special moment. We carried on doing it after that, and now it’s known all over the world. It’s a funny story,” said Tangvik, who is already looking forward to the new season with HSV despite all the excitement surrounding the World Cup. First, though, the aim is to extend Norway’s remarkable run beyond the quarter-finals.