Norway delivers one of the biggest blows of the World Cup by defeating Brazil 2-1 in the round of 16 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time. At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Scandinavian team resisted Brazilian dominance and found the decisive figure in Erling Haaland, with two goals in the final stretch of the match that eliminated the South American giant's team.
First modification: 07/06/2026 - 00:59Last modification: 07/06/2026 - 01:10
The Norwegian team led by Ståle Solbakken overcame a difficult start after Kristoffer Ajer committed a penalty on Matheus Cunha in the 13th minute. However, goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland kept the score goalless by stopping Bruno Guimarães' shot, a decision that surprised the Brazilian fans, who were expecting Vinícius Júnior to take responsibility from the spot.
In the second half, the changes introduced by Solbakken were decisive. Andreas Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb came on after the break and gave greater depth to the Norwegian attack. In the 79th minute, Schjelderup sent a precise cross that Haaland headed home to open the scoring, taking advantage of his height to dominate the Brazilian defense.
When Brazil sought equality, Norway struck again. In the 90th minute, again with assistance from Schjelderup, Haaland received a shot outside the area and took a powerful shot that beat the Brazilian goalkeeper to seal the 2-0 score.
Neymar's stoppage time, from a penalty in added time, only served to decorate the result. Brazil was eliminated before the quarterfinals for the first time since 1990, while Norway celebrated a historic qualification boosted by the performance of Haaland, who was once again decisive in keeping the Scandinavian team's World Cup dream alive.
Haaland, the scorer who drives Norway's dream
Erling Haaland once again demonstrated why he is one of the great figures of world football by becoming the protagonist of Norway's historic qualification to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. The 25-year-old forward scored the two goals with which the Scandinavian team defeated Brazil and reached seven goals in the tournament, a figure that places him at the top of the scoring table along with the French Kylian Mbappé and the Argentine Lionel Messi.
The attacker opened the scoring in the 79th minute with an accurate header and sealed the victory shortly before the end of regulation time with a powerful left-footed shot from outside the area that filtered between Danilo's legs. With that double, Haaland reached 62 goals with the national team, consolidating himself as the main offensive reference of the so-called Red Vikings.
His performance also intensified the fight for the World Cup Golden Boot. Haaland shares first place in the scoring classification with Mbappé, who reached seven goals after scoring France's victory over Paraguay, and with Lionel Messi. Behind them are Harry Kane, with five goals, while Ousmane Dembélé, Mikel Oyarzabal, Vinícius Júnior and Ismaila Sarr have four goals each.
With EFE and Reuters
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