Erling Haaland’s supply will have to be stopped by England on Saturday night, but it is Orjan Nyland who stands in the way of a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Across the West Midlands, there would have been a collective sense of disbelief at the Norwegian goalkeeper who saved a penalty and made a number of excellent stops against Brazil.
The former Aston Villa goalkeeper is best known for his role in the Hawkeye controversy when Premier League football resumed after the coronavirus break. In fact, he had more disappointing moments than memorable during his time at Villa.
His crucial penalty save against Swansea City on Boxing Day and his performance in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Leicester City have caught the attention of Villa supporters, but few will admit to following Nyland’s career since his mutual termination in October 2020.
And even fewer would have expected the 35-year-old to play such a key role in knocking Brazil out of the last 16 of the World Cup.
Nyland saved a Bruno Guimarães penalty in the 14th minute, one of four saves he made on the night, denying him 0.76 expected goals (xG). It was probably the proudest moment of his career and England will want it to stay that way.
Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa both shared a dressing room with Nyland, although the latter was with him for just over a year and the striker for just a few weeks.
The former IL Hod and Molde FK goalkeeper is Villa’s third signing of the 2018 summer transfer window, arriving a week after Andre Moreira joined on loan from Atletico Madrid and a day before John McGinn completed his move from Hibernian.
Erling Haaland scored an astonishing 16 goals in eight games during Norway’s qualifying campaign, but Orjan Nyland was just as influential in the opposition team.
Nyland went on to make 36 appearances in all competitions for Villa, including the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City at Wembley, before leaving in October 2020.
His performance in the semi-final against Leicester was his best performance in a Villa shirt and, along with his performance against Brazil, was probably one of the best of his career. Dean Smith’s side needed a series of saves from the Norwegian, including a superb one-handed stop to tip Youri Tielemans’ shot over the crossbar in the 34th minute.
“We owed it to Orjan Nyland who made three great saves, two low and one over the crossbar. It was just a top draw. He certainly gave me a challenge, which is what I want,” Smith said.
“He tore his Achilles in the Championship last year. Then Jed Steer came in and did very well. Then I brought in Tom Heaton, so Nyland had to bide his time. And unfortunately he played against a very good Man City team and they scored six goals. Then Pepe came in and did well.”
Orjan Nyland has played 36 games in two years for Aston Villa (Image: GETTY)
In fact, it was a torn Achilles tendon that prematurely ended Nyland’s first season with the club. After Lovre Kalinic left the team for a short period of time, the injury opened the door for Jed Steer to carve his name into Villa legend.
After promotion and the arrival of Tom Heaton, Nyland was unable to regain his No. 1 spot after his recovery, and Pepe Reina was then brought in as Heaton’s replacement following a long-term injury of his own.
After leaving Villa four years ago, Nyland said: “I would like to thank Aston Villa for making my boyhood dream of playing in the Premier League come true.”
“Together we shared some great memories that will last a lifetime as we got the club back on track, rejuvenated and reaching the cup final at Wembley.”
Now, after the match of his life against Brazil, Nyland’s next task is to upset England and prove a point to Villa fans, who frankly didn’t see this amazing comeback coming.
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