OSLO (Reuters) - The Norwegian government suffered a heavy defeat on Thursday, but it was on the football pitch rather than in parliament as a team of recovering addicts defeated them 7-0 in a football match.
Minister for Labour and Social Inclusion Anniken Hauglie invited a team of recovering substance abusers from the southern town of Fredrikstad that recently won a national tournament to take on Prime Minister Erma Solberg's government.
René Kristiansen, a recovering addict who played striker, opened the scoring early before going on to bag a hat trick for his side, joking that his next goal was to join Solberg's government.
The prime minister and her cabinet were outplayed, slumping to defeat.
"I've been in prison for seven or eight years and lived a hard life, but now I'm doing well, so it shows that it is possible," Kristiansen told broadcaster TV2.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
