Erling Haaland described his match winning brace against Brazil as nothing short of divine, after his two goals sent five time champions Brazil crashing out of the World Cup and lifted Norway into the quarter finals for the first time in their history.
Haaland rose above Gabriel Magalhaes to head Norway in front 11 minutes from time, meeting a superb Andreas Schjelderup cross, before sealing the win in the 90th minute with a thunderous left footed drive from outside the box that flew past Alisson and into the bottom corner. Speaking to FIFA afterwards, the striker struggled to explain his own instincts in front of goal. “That’s just how it usually goes. If I get a chance or two, it usually ends up as a goal. I don’t know how I do it, but that’s how I do it, so it’s all about staying focused. I tell myself the chance will come, and then I usually know right away if I don’t score,” he said.
Haaland went further in describing the precision of his finishing, particularly his second goal, which flew narrowly inside the post. “I’m starting to realise now, I think, that it’s a gift from God that it goes in perfectly, perfectly right up against the post and stuff. So it’s crazy,” he said.
The brace pulled Haaland level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe on seven goals in the race for the Golden Boot, and made him the first Norway player ever to score twice in a knockout match at a major tournament. It was also his third multi goal haul of the tournament, following braces against Senegal and Iraq, and extended his run of scoring in 14 consecutive competitive internationals, netting 27 goals in that sequence stretching back to October 2024. He also 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.
Beyond the personal milestones, Haaland reflected on what the achievement meant for the wider country, addressing young Norwegian fans directly. “We just kept pushing forward, but I hope that all the young people watching this interview, I hope that when you get a little older, you’ll see playing for Norway as the proudest thing you’ll ever do in your entire life, it’s absolutely insane,” he said.
Head coach Stale Solbakken echoed his star forward’s pride in the result, speaking to FIFA’s website after his side’s historic win. “I think everyone who’s a Norwegian citizen can enjoy this evening. That was a real thriller, it could have gone either way. But we played a solid, tactical game. We had a few turnovers that could have cost us. But all in all, it went our way, and we should be damn proud of that,” he said.
Solbakken also explained the tactical thinking behind Norway’s approach against a star studded Brazil side. “Why did it go our way? Well, we’re playing, it’s a bit like Manchester City versus Real Madrid. They sit back and rely on counterattacks, and we have to wear them down. Because that’s what we’re best at, and I think we did a good job of it,” he said.
Haaland was named player of the match and led Norway’s travelling supporters in their now trademark post match celebration row, a moment that drew cheers from Brazil fans in the crowd as well, many of whom stayed to acknowledge the scale of the upset they had just witnessed.
Norway will face the winner of Mexico’s meeting with England in the quarter finals, a draw that has already sparked intrigue given Norway’s counterattacking threat and the possibility of further deep runs from the tournament’s remaining co-hosts.
