Van Marwijk praise his defenders

Mark van Bommel scored the only goal of the match.

“They were a constant threat with their long balls. They’ve the advantage of those towering forwards and you never know what happens,” said the Oranje boss after the match.

“However, we defended outstandingly well against someone of Carew’s height. It’s not easy to win the ball against a player like him.

“The Norwegians disappointed me a bit. I expected them to be a little bit more aggressive.

“We controlled the match, but we were unable to create chances ourselves throughout the match. We were able to play our game a bit more after the opener. All together, everybody did his utmost and we deserved the victory.

“I can’t deny that we’ve made an excellent start to this qualifying campaign, but we shouldn’t take the rest of the matches too lightly. It’s very important for us to stay focused.”