Erling Haaland produced a sensational performance, scoring five goals and providing two assists as Norway crushed Moldova to strengthen their bid for a first World Cup appearance in 27 years.
The Manchester City striker set up Felix Horn Myhre after just six minutes before netting a treble in the opening 32 minutes at Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo. Haaland added a fourth seven minutes into the second half and completed his five-goal haul in the 83rd minute, taking his tally in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to nine, the highest of any player so far.
This marked Haaland’s first time scoring five goals in a single match for Norway, having previously achieved the feat twice for Manchester City. Arsenal midfielder Odegaard created two of Haaland’s goals, also scoring himself just before the break, while Rangers’ Thelo Aasgaard came off the bench to add four second-half goals.
Moldova’s only reward came via a Leo Ostigard own goal in the 74th minute. Norway’s 11-goal haul, their third time hitting double figures in a match, narrowly fell short of their national record 12-0 win over Finland in 1946. The victory moved Stale Solbakken’s side six points clear of Italy at the top of Group I.
Norway have not featured at a major tournament since Euro 2000, and their last World Cup finals appearance came in 1998, meaning Haaland has yet to play for his country on football’s biggest stage. The 25-year-old now has 48 goals in 45 appearances for Norway, including five international hat-tricks.
The win also equalled the record for the largest winning margin in a European World Cup qualifier, previously set by Macedonia’s 11-1 triumph over Liechtenstein in 1996.
Norway, having won all five of their qualifying matches, face Israel and Estonia next before a potential decisive clash against Italy on 16 November. Only the group winners are guaranteed a place at next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with runners-up entering the play-offs.
