East Rutherford (New Jersey), July 6: Erling Haaland scored two late goals to send Norway into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the nation’s history, sealing a 2-1 victory that condemned five-time champions Brazil to their earliest exit from the tournament since 1990.
The Round of 16 clash at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday was played before a sellout crowd of 80,663, most of them in Brazilian yellow. By the final whistle, it was the Norwegian red that was celebrating one of the greatest results in the country’s footballing history.
Nyland Denies Brazil Repeatedly
Brazil had the better of the early chances despite Norway dominating possession. Matheus Cunha was brought down in the box in the 12th minute and a penalty was awarded after a VAR check, but Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland dived low to deny Bruno Guimaraes. That save set the tone for the afternoon. Nyland also denied Vinicius Junior from close range in the 41st minute, and Brazil substitute Endrick missed a one-on-one chance wide in the 59th minute after a poor touch.
Haaland Strikes Twice Late
Norway coach Stale Solbakken made a decisive halftime change, bringing on winger Andreas Schjelderup, and the substitute would assist both goals. Haaland broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, heading in Schjelderup’s left-wing cross, then added a decisive second with a powerful low shot into the corner in the final minute of normal time.
Neymar converted a penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time, awarded after an elbow on Casemiro, in what is likely his final World Cup goal, but there was no time left for an equaliser.
Historic Result for Both Nations
The result carries enormous historical weight on both sides. The last time Brazil failed to reach at least the quarterfinals was 36 years ago, when they lost 1-0 to Argentina in the last 16 in 1990. Brazil have now suffered six straight World Cup exits at the hands of European teams since their last title in 2002, a run that continued despite hiring Carlo Ancelotti in a bid to end a 24-year World Cup drought.
For Norway, the achievement is unprecedented. The men’s team had qualified for the World Cup only four times before, not since 1998, and had never gone beyond the Round of 16, losing at that stage in 1938 and 1998. “Maybe this will write history in Norway,” Haaland said after the match. “This is just an insane day.”
Haaland Level in Golden Boot Race
The brace fires Haaland to the top of the Golden Boot race. The Manchester City striker now has seven goals in the tournament, level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, and his scoring streak for Norway has reached 14 consecutive games with 27 goals in that span.
Goalkeeper Nyland, at 35 the oldest player in the Norwegian squad, finished with a string of match-defining saves, including a fingertip stop that prevented defender Kristoffer Ajer from looping the ball into his own net.
Norway will now face either co-hosts Mexico or England in the quarterfinal in Miami on July 11. Brazil, meanwhile, fly home to face hard questions about a golden generation that once again fell short on football’s biggest stage.
