Erling Haaland scores twice as Norway stuns Brazil to reach World Cup quarterfinals
The 6-foot-5 striker headed in the go-ahead goal in the 80th minute and added another before regulation ended, extending his World Cup streak to 7 goals.
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Erling Haaland headed in the go-ahead goal in the 80th minute and scored again before regulation ended, carrying Norway into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 2-1 victory over Brazil on Sunday at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Haaland was largely quiet through much of the match with limited touches, but turned decisive when it mattered. He scored his sixth goal of the tournament after a perfect setup by Andreas Schjelderup, who entered the game at halftime. Schjelderup then assisted Haaland's seventh, tying Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappé for the tournament lead. Haaland extended his streak of scoring in 14 consecutive competitive matches internationally, with 27 goals in that span.
Norway's goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland was equally crucial. The 35-year-old made a diving save on Bruno Guimarães' penalty kick in the 14th minute, then got his left hand on a late shot when Norway clung to its one-goal lead. Brazil's only goal came from Neymar on a penalty kick late in stoppage time.
The upset ranks among the most significant in Norwegian football history on the men's side—though Norway's women's team won the World Cup in 1995. The men have only qualified four times and not since 1998; they had never advanced past the round of 16 until now. Norway next faces the winner of the Mexico-England round-of-16 game Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Brazil's loss ended an eight-game streak of quarterfinal appearances and marked its seventh consecutive loss to European opponents at the World Cup dating to beating Germany in the 2002 final.
