The home side scored nine times across their first two qualifiers, and their form in front of goal showed little sign of slowing when they took the lead inside 15 minutes. Antonio Nusa received the ball in his own half and went on a mazy run before sliding a perfect pass through to Alexander Sorloth, who shrugged off his marker and slotted past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
In the teeming rain in Oslo, the Italians struggled to mount a response - their only effort in the first half was a Giacomo Raspadori shot from a tight angle which flew over the bar.
At the other end, Donnarumma needed a strong hand at his near post to deny Sørloth a second just after the half-hour mark, only for Nusa to double Norway’s lead on their next attack.
The RB Leipzig winger cut in from the left wing, skipped between a couple of defenders and powered a shot past the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.
The Lovene then found themselves in dreamland just before the break, when Martin Odegaard played a ball through to Erling Haaland, who rounded Donnarumma with one touch and tucked away his 41st international goal to make it 3-0.
Before tonight, Italy had not conceded an away goal in a World Cup qualifier (WCQ) since 2017, and though it was too little too late, they began the second half much more resiliently, failing to allow a Norwegian shot until the 65th minute, when Sander Berge clattered a shot against the post from 20 yards following a short free-kick from Odegaard.
Luciano Spalletti’s side offered little going forward and didn’t have a single shot on goal until added time, when Lorenzo Lucca’s header was clutched by Orjan Nyland.
Yet, with this, their first match of the WCQ campaign, a third failure to qualify in succession is still far from a reality.
For Stale Solbakken’s team, meanwhile, it’s a fifth win in a row by an aggregate score of 21-3, and a third consecutive WCQ win for only the second time this century.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antonio Nusa (Norway)