Erling Haaland fires Norway past Brazil to end up in World Cup quarterfinals for first time in history

The Viking row continues on at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it’s the superstar Erling Haaland who every Norwegian can thank for that after another masterful performance Sunday against Brazil.

Norway is moving on to its first-ever quarterfinals at the World Cup after Haaland scored twice in the 2-1 victory over Brazil, which heads home earlier than they likely expected.

But this tournament has proven Haaland, no matter how many touches he gets on the ball, is just like Thanos: he’s inevitable.

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Norway, which had grade-A chances throughout the match, as did Brazil including a key penalty shot very early on, found yet another in the box when a short cross came across the goal front. The Brazil defense lost track of Haaland for a split second, and that’s all the 6-foot-5 Norwegian needed to leap and flick his head onto the ball, which went past goalkeeper Allison for the go-ahead goal.

It was the 79th minute of the match, and it felt like that was finally the decider in a back-and-forth bout between these two countries.

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Both keepers, including Norway’s Ørjan Nyland, had a tremendous match. But Nyland’s save on a penalty kick by Bruno Guimarães in the 14th minute changed the trajectory of this match.

Many wondered why Vini Jr., a superstar who had four goals in the World Cup before this match, handed the ball to Guimarães to take his first career penalty for Brazil. And they were justified considering the result.

Brazil had other threats on Norway, including a dangerous cross of the boot of Gabriel Martinelli in the first half, but Nyland once again kept the door slammed shut with a 0-0 draw.

Haaland’s breakthrough late in the second half turned Norway into a defensive-minded squad, while Brazil, which had subbed in Neymar Jr. to the delight of the sold-out crowd in New Jersey, was trying desperately to tie things up again.

But leave it to the Manchester City superstar striker to find an opening and exploit it.

Haaland sealed victory for Norway when he inched the ball forward with his left foot just outside Brazil’s box and fired a low strike to the right side past the sprawling Allison to make it 2-0 at the 90th minute. There was no pomp and circumstance by Haaland, though his teammates screamed and jumped on his back.

This is what he does – score goals. He now has seven in this World Cup, tying him with France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi as they contend for the Golden Boot Award as the top goalscorer in the tournament.

Brazil was awarded another penalty shot shortly after Haaland’s second goal, which Neymar took this time. After he and Nyland were seen jawing back and forth, Neymar buried the attempt, which was ultimately a consolation goal. He and Nyland exchanged words again, but Norway was the only ones delighted when the whistle blew at New York/New Jersey Stadium.

This is Norway’s first World Cup in 28 years, and they’ve done more than just represent their country well. They’ve taken down a five-time champion in Brazil to keep their title hopes alive, and Haaland continues to play a large role in making it happen for his squad.

It’s why there was no other person to lead that Viking row in the stands after the match, as Haaland gleefully banged the drum to orchestrate one of the best celebrations this tournament has seen throughout a fantastic World Cup.

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