Industry Odisha Bureau, July 6: Erling Haaland scored twice in the final stages as Norway stunned the five-time champion Brazil 2-1. With this, they secured their place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Norway will now face either co-hosts Mexico or England in the quarterfinals in Miami on July 11.
This also marked Brazil’s earliest exit from FIFA since 1990. Further, it also extended Brazil’s poor record against European teams at the World Cup. It was the sixth consecutive tournament in which the South American side was eliminated by the European opposition.
Beside Erling Haaland, Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland played a crucial role in the victory with outstanding saves. He denied Bruno Guimaraes from the penalty spot in the first half after VAR awarded Brazil a penalty for Ajer’s foul.
Nyland continued his impressive performance by keeping out efforts from Gabriel Martinelli, Vinicius Junior, Rayan, and Guimaraes. While Norway struck first, Brazil introduced Endrick and later Neymar in search of a breakthrough. Andreas delivered a cross from the left and Haaland rose above Gabriel in the 79th minute. Nyland then produces another excellent save in order to stop Brazil.
Erling Haaland sealed the victory in the 90th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box. This took his tournament tally to seven goals, drawing level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Lastly, Neymar converted a penalty deep into stoppage time. However, it was only a consolation as Norway held on to complete a memorable victory. With this, Norway secured their place in the final eight of FIFA World Cup 2026.
