EAST RUTHERFORD: Finishing chances is just what Erling Haaland does. And on Sunday, that was enough to give Norway their biggest win in World Cup history.
Haaland powered in a 79th-minute header and added a second in the 90th minute as Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal at the expense of the five-time champions.
Kept under wraps for most of the round of 16 fixture, Haaland’s sixth and seventh goals of the tournament sent Brazil to their earliest exit since being eliminated in the round of 16 in 1990. He’s now tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe for the tournament lead.
“I mean, it’s like things normally are,” the imposing 25-year-old center forward explained, via an interpreter. “If I have a chance or two, then very often I score. I’m not quite sure, but this is what I do. It’s all about being focused and taking the chances I get. And I normally get them even if I don’t score on the first one.”
Norway’s Orjan Nyland made four stops, including a diving denial of Bruno Guimaraes’ 14th-minute penalty kick. The 34-year-old Neymar converted a second late spot kick deep in second-half stoppage time in what will be his final appearance for Brazil, he announced after the match.
Norway will now face England in a quarterfinal in Miami Gardens, Fla., on July 11 after the Three Lions beat Mexico 3-2 later on Sunday.
“I never thought about it,” Norway manager Stale Solbakken said of reaching this stage. “I just thought that we needed to proceed from the group stage. And then, of course, it’s the next game, and now it was Brazil.
“I told the boys that maybe we didn’t have a 50-50 chance today, but if we can play up to our best, then we have a 50-50 chance.”
The result maintained one of the all-time World Cup oddities, the Nordic nation’s perfect 2-0-0 record against the Selecao in the competition. The other victory in 1998, also a 2-1 Norway triumph, came in a group-stage finale after Brazil had already secured passage to the knockout phase.
Haaland’s first came after an extended stretch in which Carlo Ancelotti’s side looked more likely to score.
Just seconds after coming into the match, the 19-year-old Endrick missed Brazil’s best chance of the afternoon, getting his footing all wrong and firing wide after reaching Vinicius Junior’s excellent throughball in the 59th minute.
Nyland also denied Rayan and Guimaraes after the break before Norway turned the tables in the final 15 minutes and guaranteed Brazil’s World Cup drought would extend to at least 28 years.
“Obviously, everyone is profoundly disappointed, given what happened,” said Ancelotti, who took over the program in late spring of 2025. “We didn’t do a spectacular World Cup campaign, but we did a good one, and we even deserved to win the match at some points today.”
Less than five minutes after Andreas Schjelderup forced Alisson into a 75th- minute stop, he found Haaland with a looping cross from the left. Haaland rose above Gabriel Magalhaes and nodded downward beyond Alisson’s dive.
The same duo combined 11 minutes later to seal it. Schjelderup provided the square ball from the left, and Haaland controlled it and snapped a low, right- footed shot into the bottom right corner.
Afterward, he was given the honor of leading the minority of Norway fans in the building in their now-famous Viking Row celebration, and he had advice for his countrymen across the Atlantic.
“Everyone just needs to enjoy themselves,” the Manchester City man said. “This is just an insane day. Like I said, it’s one of the most insane days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it. Embrace it and enjoy the moment.”
Early on, American referee Ismail Elfath originally waved play on following Kristoffer Ajer’s penalty-area tackle on Matheus Cunha, only to reverse his decision and point to the spot following a look at the replay monitor.
Guimaraes stepped to the spot, hesitated and fired toward the bottom right corner, where Nyland made a strong diving save.
— Reuters
