Unstoppable Erling Haaland drums out Brazil as Norway write World Cup history | OneFootball

For Norway, the United States is turning into the Haaland of opportunity. The country of 5 million people has powered into a World Cup quarter-final. The most decorated national team in history were cast out of the competition, Brazil’s dream of a sixth World Cup ended by Erling Haaland’s sixth and seventh goals of this tournament. A thousand years after Vikings set sail for the Americas, Brazil were subject to Norse rule in New Jersey.

It ended with Haaland banging the drum – quite literally – as the Norway players rowed in harmony with their supporters. Forget flying to Miami, they could get there on longships. The MetLife, which had seemed full of Brazil supporters, ended echoing to the sound of A-ha’s “Take Me On”.

Brazil failed to take them down. This was incredible and yet deserved. Out of keeping with football history, and yet in line with these countries’ meetings. A shock and yet, based on the game, no shock at all. Brazil have lost to Norway in a World Cup before, in 1998, but they still reached the final.

This year, for the first time since 1990, they will not even be in the quarter-finals. They could bemoan a missed penalty, their profligate finishing in contrast with Haaland’s prolific touch, but one of the remarkable aspects was that Norway had two-thirds of possession against the Selecao. It would have been inconceivable at almost any previous point in history.

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Erling Haaland celebrates scoring Norway's second goal (Getty)

Maybe Brazil ultimately paid for their passiveness. Or perhaps they were simply powerless to halt the rampaging Haaland. He was relatively quiet for 78 minutes; but then, famously, his impact cannot be measured in touches. But two that followed were very different and equally decisive.

First came the unstoppable header from Andreas Schjelderup’s cross. A towering leap left his old enemy Gabriel Magalhaes, far below him. Then came a rarity; a Haaland long-range goal. It was drilled in with a magnificent combination of precision and power. It took his tally to a ludicrous 62 goals in just 54 games for his country. For all his bucketloads of strikes at club level – a mere 317 to date – this World Cup is shaping up as his greatest achievement.

Not just his, either. Norway’s two superstars delivered, with Martin Odegaard also outstanding, but if Haaland had a rival for the man-of-the-match award, it was Orjan Nyland, the goalkeeper whose CV includes time on the Aston Villa, Norwich, Bournemouth and Reading benches.

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Norway's Orjan Nyland saves a penalty by Bruno Guimaraes (Reuters)

Now it features a World Cup penalty save; already, it can be said, one of Norway’s greatest moments. Bruno Guimaraes’s run-up was stuttering, his spot kick unconvincing but Nyland guessed right. If it felt odd the American referee, Ismail Elfath, inexplicably failed to award a penalty when Kristoffer Ajer chopped down Matheus Cunha, VAR rectified the mistake. But Guimaraes erred. It was Brazil’s first missed penalty in a World Cup game since 1986; normally, it is a compliment to be bracketed with Zico, but it was not for Guimaraes. There was to be a second spot kick. In the 100th minute, Neymar was to score from 12 yards, his first Brazil goal since 2023, after Leo Ostigard elbowed Casemiro; and yet it came too late to matter.

Because, in part of Nyland. He made other fine saves from Vinicius Junior and Guimaraes. Best of all, and, again, to Ajer’s relief, was when he backtracked to stop the defender inadvertently lobbing him from 20 yards. The goalkeeper collided with the post. His pain was Norway’s gain.

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Erling Haaland heads home Norway’s opener (Reuters)

Manager Stake Solbakken deserves praise, too. Well as Norway played in the first half, he responded by removing both wingers. Benfica’s Schjelderup came on for the electric Antonio Nusa. The substitute had almost scored when teed up by Haaland – Alisson saving his shot – and instead made a goal. What a change it proved.

Carlo Ancelotti almost had a similar impact. He summoned Endrick, which almost looked a masterstroke when he almost scored with his first involvement. Released by Vinicius, with a glorious touch, the teenager’s second touch cost him; his third was a shot prodded just wide.

Neymar was the substitute who did score; and yet the emblematic moment of his cameo was when he chopped down Odegaard to collect a caution.

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Neymar clashes with Orjan Nyland after scoring his penalty (Getty)

Ancelotti’s gameplan was based around allowing Norway to have the ball, and then to break quickly. It might have worked. After Patrick Berg had a third-minute goal disallowed for offside, Brazil had the better chances in the next hour. Vinicius was afforded freedom to roam in a 4-4-2 formation.

But Norway showed no inferiority complex. They kept the ball. Then they added a finishing touch. They extended a remarkable record; they have never lost to Brazil. But in the process, they upended this World Cup and altered their own history irrevocably. Norway had sat out every World Cup in the 21st century. Until this one, when they are only three victories – and a few Haaland goals – from winning it.