England and Norway meet in the World Cup quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday, renewing a rivalry forever defined by one extraordinary piece of radio commentary.
It was 45 years before Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland lit up the current tournament that Norwegian commentator Bjorge Lillelien delivered words that have echoed through football history.
Norway beat an England side featuring Bryan Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Trevor Francis 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo in September 1981.
The result was considered a national embarrassment for England and the greatest triumph in Norwegian football history at that point.
Lillelien, working as the main radio commentator for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, was ready to make the most of the occasion when the final whistle sounded.
A slightly edited version of his famous commentary reads: “Lord Nelson. Lord Beaverbrook. Sir Winston Churchill. Sir Anthony Eden. Clement Atlee. Henry Cooper. Lady Diana. We have beaten all of them.”
Then came the words that have been repeated and adapted across the world ever since: “Maggie Thatcher. Can you hear me? We have knocked your boys out of the World Cup. Your boys took a hell of a beating.”
Lillelien, who was a hugely popular figure in Norway, died six years after that famous broadcast at the age of 60, but his words have been immortalised by YouTube ever since.
He always insisted the speech was entirely spontaneous and not prepared in advance, a claim that only added to the legend surrounding the broadcast.
His son Marius, who later became a senior broadcasting executive, offered a fascinating insight into the man behind the microphone in an NRK documentary.
Marius said: “The person we meet in the big radio moments is a man who has built himself up. Like an artist, he prepared himself for a concert. He was a very different man off air.”
Former Norway striker Egil Ostenstad, who played in the Premier League for Southampton and Blackburn Rovers, reflected on what made Lillelien so unique as a broadcaster.
Ostenstad told the Times: “It was Bjorge. This was something that summarised his personality and the way he was as a commentator. I would say he’s a very untypical Norwegian.”
Ostenstad added: “Norwegians in general try to be quite comfortable and not show too much emotion. Maybe that’s why he was so popular. He knew how to show emotions and this commentary proves it very well.”
The two nations have been closely linked in footballing terms for the past three decades, with almost 100 Norwegians having played in the Premier League since its formation.
From Jan Age Fjortoft, Morten Gamst Pedersen and John Carew to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Martin Odegaard and Haaland, the footballing relationship between the two countries runs deep.
England have won one, drawn one and lost two of their four competitive meetings with Norway, and Saturday will mark the first time the men’s sides have met in 12 years.
The rivalry also extended to the women’s game when Norwegian newspaper VG Sporten asked ahead of a 2015 Women’s World Cup last-16 tie if Mark Sampson’s England were “ready for a hell of a beating” — England won 2-1 in Ottawa.
This World Cup quarter-final represents a first-ever meeting between the men’s sides in a major tournament, adding a fresh layer of significance to an already loaded fixture.
Whatever unfolds in Miami on Saturday, the name of Bjorge Lillelien and those unforgettable words will inevitably find their way into the commentary and conversation once again.
