Haaland double sends Norway past Brazil into World Cup quarter-finals

Erling Haaland scored twice on Sunday as Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at New York/New Jersey Stadium in the United States, eliminating the five-time champions and securing a historic first-ever place in the tournament's quarter-finals.

All three goals came within the final 25 minutes of the match, with Haaland opening the scoring in the 79th minute after receiving a pass from Andreas Schjelderup on the edge of the penalty area. The striker took a touch before directing a low effort past Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Haaland doubled Norway's advantage in the 90th minute with another low strike from outside the penalty area, sending the ball into the bottom corner to register his seventh goal of the tournament.

The brace moved the Norwegian forward level with Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe at the top of the scoring charts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Brazil pulled a goal back in the 10th minute of stoppage time when Neymar converted a penalty, but the late strike was not enough to prevent the South American side's elimination.

Brazil had earlier missed a penalty in the first half after Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland saved a spot kick taken by Bruno Guimaraes.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and is the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude on July 19, with Argentina entering the competition as the defending champions.

Stabil.Az