“Take on me, take me on.” As the closing bars of synth pop band ‘A-ha’s anthem, Norway’s most famous cultural export before this summer, rang out around MetLife Stadium in the early hours of Monday, it felt less like a coincidence than a cue. The song tells of a fleeting chance seized without hesitation, and on a warm New Jersey evening, Erling Haaland did exactly that, not once but twice, turning half chances into history and sending five time champions Brazil crashing out of the World Cup. Norway had taken on Brazil and won, and the man who had taken them there stood in the middle of it all, drum in hand, leading a Viking Row that stretched from New Jersey to the streets of Oslo, and, in doing so, crowned himself something close to royalty.
A statement of pure efficiency
Haaland’s brace arrived from just four shots, three of them on target, in front of 80,663 fans in East Rutherford on 5 July. His first, an 80th minute header, saw him rise above Gabriel Magalhaes to meet a superb Andreas Schjelderup cross and plant it beyond Alisson. His second, ten minutes later, was pure theatre, a first touch to control, a second to shift the ball onto his favoured left foot, and a third to thread it through Danilo’s legs and into the same corner as his header. Combined, the two goals carried an expected goals value of just 0.39, a number that only underlines how little Haaland needed to end Brazil’s dream. He touched the ball only 19 times before the 90th minute, and 30 in total across the match, the same tally recorded by teammate Antonio Nusa, who was substituted at half time for lack of impact. With Haaland, as ever, quantity was never the point.
A duel settled, at last
Much of the buildup centred on Haaland’s rivalry with Gabriel, a Premier League feud renewed on the world’s biggest stage. For 79 minutes, the Arsenal defender had the upper hand, restricting Haaland to a single meaningful touch inside the box. But when the chance finally came, Haaland made it count twice over, winning the individual battle in the moments that mattered most. Vinicius Junior, Brazil’s outstanding performer of the tournament, sought Haaland out in the mixed zone afterwards simply to offer his congratulations.
Records tumbling with every touch
Haaland’s brace pulled him level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi on seven goals apiece, the first time in World Cup history that three players have reached that mark simultaneously, with Just Fontaine’s all time record of 13 goals in a single tournament, set in 1958, now firmly back in the conversation. He became the first Norway player ever to score twice in a knockout match at a major tournament, and all three instances of a Norwegian scoring multiple goals in a match at this World Cup belong to him alone, having also struck twice against Senegal and Iraq. His goal against Brazil also made him the first player to score two in a single match against the Selecao since Toni Kroos and Andre Schurrle achieved the feat during Germany’s infamous 7-1 win in 2014.
The wider numbers are just as startling. Haaland has now scored in 14 consecutive competitive appearances for Norway, amassing 27 goals in that run, a streak stretching back to October 2024. He has 62 goals in 54 senior internationals, a goal roughly every 71 minutes, only six of them penalties. He became just the eighth European player to score in each of his first four World Cup appearances, and the first to do so since Italy’s Christian Vieri in 1998.
Haaland made no attempt to downplay the magnitude of the occasion afterwards. “This is just an insane day. It is one of the most insane days in Norwegian history,” he said. Asked about the celebrations already unfolding back home, where tens of thousands had taken to the streets of Oslo, he added, “I wish I was on those streets, I wish I was involved in it. Everyone has to enjoy themselves. All of Norway has to enjoy themselves. It’s one of the sickest days ever in Norwegian history. You just have to enjoy it, because this is sick.”
He also reflected on the nature of his own game, one built on patience rather than volume. “I peaked a couple of times in this tournament, but every now and then I get a new peak. If I have a chance or two, then very often I score. I’m not quite sure, but this is what I do. It’s all about being focused and taking the chances I get. And I normally get them even if I don’t score on the first one,” he said.
Solbakken’s tactical gamble
Head coach Stale Solbakken called it the greatest day in Norwegian football history, and credited a bold half time change, withdrawing both Sorloth and Nusa for Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb, for shifting the balance of the game. “You have to have faith in what you do. You have to follow your gut feeling. It could go both ways. It was a chess game,” he said. He was similarly effusive about his captain’s contribution. “He is the best goalscorer in the world. He played a very good game, very active, very physical. He made it difficult for their centre backs. But we have to be honest that the game could have gone either way. We had a match winner up front in Erling and another match winner in goal in Orjan. We needed both,” Solbakken said.
A historic night, a nation transformed
For Norway, appearing at only their fourth World Cup and their first since 1998, the win represents a first ever quarter final at a major tournament, following two previous last 16 exits, 50 years apart, in 1938 and 1998. They had not won a single World Cup knockout match until last Tuesday. They have now won two in succession, the latest against the most decorated nation in the competition’s history.
Brazil’s exit, by contrast, marks their earliest departure since 1990, having reached at least the quarter final in each of their previous eight tournaments. Norway will face England in the quarter finals, with a potential path through Argentina or France beyond that, and with it, the tantalising prospect of Haaland facing Messi, Mbappe and Harry Kane in a straight fight for the Golden Boot. ‘Take on me’, indeed.
