A pitch invader was tackled by former Premier League defender Brede Hangeland after charging at Erling Haaland.
The worrying scenes occurred during Norway’s opening World Cup qualifier against Moldova on Saturday.
Haaland had been sat in the dugout after he was replaced by Erik Botheim in the 78th minute.
With the Manchester City striker sat on the end of the bench, one supporter attempted to storm the technical area.
After jumping onto the pitch, the fan sprinted towards the dugout.
However, the fan was tackled by former Fulham player Hangeland before they could reach Haaland.
The pitch invader, who had appeared to reach into his pocket, was then removed by security from the stadium in Chisinau.
Hangeland, who is now a member of the Norway backroom team, was praised by manager Stale Solbakken for his intervention.
Meanwhile, the national team’s head of security, Geir Ellefsen, confirmed the pitch invader had been trying to reach Haaland.
Ellefsen also confirmed that police had arrested the fan.
He told Dagbladet: “He’s (Haaland) completely calm. Of course it’s disgusting. He’s the one he ran towards before we could stop him.”
Haaland had been on the scoresheet earlier in the match, scoring his side’s second goal.
Norway went on to win 5-0 as they look to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Solbakken’s side continue their campaign against Israel on Monday, with the match being played in Debrecen, Hungary.
They go into the fixture top of group I, with the pool completed by Estonia and the loser of the Nations League quarter-final between Germany and Italy.
Meanwhile, Hangeland went beyond his coaching duties by stepping up to stop the pitch invader.
The 43-year-old has been a part of Solbakken’s backroom team since 2021 having retired five years earlier.
As a player, the defender won 91 caps for Norway and scored four goals.
He became a cult hero at Selhurst Park having travelled to home matches by train[/caption]
He also made 238 Premier League appearances for Fulham and Crystal Palace during his career.
Hangeland even became a cult hero at Selhurst Park as he was regularly spotted riding the train to and from home matches.
