Haaland double sends Norway past Brazil and into first World Cup quarter-final

Norway beat Brazil 2-1, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to secure the country’s first World Cup quarter-final appearance. The result also gave Norway a second straight knockout win in a tournament where Haaland has become the defining figure of their run.

The Manchester City striker did not dominate the ball, but he decided the match. The supplied match details credit him with only four touches in the Brazil penalty area, 30 total touches and an xG figure of 0.39, yet he still found two decisive finishes late in the game.

Haaland now has seven goals in four World Cup matches, level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race according to the source. His wider Norway record is just as striking: 62 goals in 54 senior internationals, including a scoring run across his past 14 competitive appearances for the national team.

For Norway, the win changes the scale of the tournament. This is only their fourth World Cup appearance and their first since 1998, but Stale Solbakken’s side have now beaten Ivory Coast and Brazil in successive knockout matches. England or co-hosts Mexico are next, and the central question is no longer whether Norway belong at this level, but how far Haaland’s finishing can carry them.