Haaland’s Norway receive heroes’ welcome in Oslo after World Cup exit

A crowd of more than 100,000, an open-top bus parade and a royal reception welcomed back the Norwegian World Cup squad.More than ‌‌100,000 fans flooded the streets of the Norwegian ⁠⁠capital, Oslo, to give their football team a heroes’ welcome, turning the heartbreak of their FIFA World Cup exit ⁠⁠into a huge national celebration.A 2-1 extra-time defeat by England on Saturday brought Norway’s historic run to an end in ⁠⁠the quarterfinals, shattering the Nordics’ dreams of a semifinal berth. However, it did not stop the country from celebrating its heroes.Massive crowds under the Norwegian summer sun filled the grounds of the Royal ‌‌Palace early on Monday afternoon, with an unofficial turnout estimated at more than 100,000 people.The Norway squad touched down to a traditional water cannon salute before commencing their homecoming parade in the capital.The line of supporters quickly packed the palace square before stretching far down the main street, ⁠⁠Karl Johans gate, as the squad first ⁠⁠attended an audience with King Harald.The team then stepped out to greet the fans, with the Royal Guard standing at attention behind them.Striker Erling Haaland was ⁠⁠noticeably absent from the final stage of the celebrations, having left early.His departure meant ⁠⁠he missed joining his teammates on the ⁠⁠palace steps for one last “Viking row” with the tens of thousands of fans gathered below, which was led by Crown Prince Haakon on the drums.“Erling ‌‌and Sander [Berge] had to catch their plane as our trip from the US was delayed four hours,” coach Stale Solbakken said, ‌‌as ‌‌the squad prepared to continue the celebrations in an open bus parade around Oslo.