Southampton: Elyounoussi plays 34 minutes for Norway against Spain
By Marc Walker
Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi came on as a second-half substitute in Norway’s 2-1 European Championship Qualifier loss to Spain this evening.
With the score at 1-0 to Spain after Rodrigo’s opener, the Saints man was introduced to replace Martin Odegaard after 56 minutes.
He and his teammates drew level as Bournemouth striker Josh King netted a penalty with 25 minutes left.
However, Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos would have the final say by scoring a spot-kick of his own to give Spain a narrow opening win in the Euro Qualifying campaign.
Norway head back home and host Sweden in their second qualifying game on Tuesday and Elyounoussi will be hoping to get more minutes on the field in that one.
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His cousin Tarik Elyounoussi also played a part against Spain; starting the game before coming off in the 55th minute.
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For Saints man Mohamed though, the international break provides an opportunity for him to get some much-needed minutes under his belt.
His form since moving to England at the beginning of this season has not lived up to what was expected of him as he joined from Basel.
An impressive scoring record and creativity in Switzerland and Norway before that built his reputation as a real attacking talent.
His development has taken a step back this campaign after struggling to make an impact with Saints, but a recent interview showed that he is still motivated to prove his worth in the Premier League.
Some key quotes saw him talking about his injury problems this season, his hope of having a significant role next season and his want to succeed.
Players such as Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse have emerged as the main men in the attacking midfield positions and it has understandably proved difficult for Elyounoussi to return to starting games.
With 18 appearances so far and 981 minutes on the pitch overall for Saints, it will be important that he makes a real impression in the summer to impress Ralph Hasenhuttl.