How Haaland shed a burden by qualifying Norway for the last 16 | OneFootball

Erling Haaland felt clear relief as Norway reached the last 16, his four World Cup goals central to a breakthrough long craved by his national team.

“I took it hard that we did not qualify for the World Cup in 2022 and the Euros in 2024. Since my debut I have felt that necessity. Over the years the pressure has built on my shoulders,” he told ESPN before his first game.

Prolific for Norway with 59 in 52 caps, that output had not delivered collective reward until 2026, when qualification ended a 25-year wait for a major tournament.

In the United States his levels have held, after a 2025-26 club season of 38 goals and 9 assists, and he struck braces against Iraq and Senegal. A rivalry of sorts with Kylian Mbappé has grown in recent seasons around headline numbers. Those goals helped Norway progress from the group stage for the first time since the 1998 World Cup.

A marquee face of this American edition, he is among the few players on advertising screens, yet slipped through Times Square unnoticed behind sunglasses and a cap.

With the objective achieved, and Norway seen as outsiders, the rest may feel like a bonus. Before facing France he said: “Honestly, I do not care about this match now. We are through, it is incredible. The French will certainly beat us and will surely win the tournament.”

Freed of that weight, Haaland looks only more formidable, a machine built to score.

Source: Le Progres