Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Erling Haaland said he wished he could join the party back home after leading Norway to a historic 2-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup round of 16.
Haaland scored both goals as Stale Solbakken’s team upset the five-time champions to reach their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, where they will face England.
The Manchester City striker outjumped his Premier League rival Gabriel Magalhaes to score Norway’s opener in the 79th minute, then fired into the bottom-right corner from distance to give them a two-goal cushion in the last minute of the 90.
Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty introduced some momentary nerves, with Orjan Nyland unable to repeat the trick after saving a Bruno Guimaraes spot-kick in the first half, but Norway held firm.
Haaland is the first Norway player to score two goals in a knockout match in a major international tournament (World Cup or Euros).
Furthermore, all three instances of a Norway player scoring multiple goals in a match at a major tournament – in any round – are Haaland at this year’s World Cup (two versus Brazil, two against Senegal, two versus Iraq).
Haaland’s seven goals at the tournament put him joint-top of the Golden Boot race, alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, and those strikes have come from just 18 shots.
His 39% shot conversion rate is the best by any player at a single World Cup (when attempting 15 or more shots) since 1986, when Gary Lineker netted six times from 15 shots.
After full-time, Haaland took the lead as Norway’s players, staff and fans marked the win with the now-iconic Viking row celebration, but he would rather have been among the wild scenes that accompanied the win in Oslo.
“I wish I was on those streets; I wish I was involved in it,” Haaland said of the celebrations. “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.”
4 – Erling Haaland is the fourth player to score as many as four match-winning goals in a single FIFA World Cup:
5 – Grzegorz Lato (1974)
5 – Salvatore Schillaci (1990)
4 – Erling Haaland (2026)
4 – Gerd Müller (1970)
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 5, 2026
Solbakken also told Norway’s fans to enjoy the moment, saying: “I think all Norwegians are experiencing the night of a lifetime. They will probably party for a week or so!
“Erling was our match-winner, but I’m happy that everyone played their part on the greatest night in Norwegian football history. Everyone played their part.
“This is a great group. They love being together, they train well, they help each other and protect each other.
“We have a strong culture and we have an opportunity to let people be themselves and say whatever they want. That’s very important both when things go well and when they don’t.”
Norway remain the only team that Brazil have ever faced and failed to beat, with Sunday’s match being their fifth head-to-head meeting (three Norway wins, two draws).
It is the earliest stage at which Brazil have been eliminated from a World Cup since 1990, when they lost 1-0 to Argentina in the round of 16. They had reached at least the quarter-finals at eight consecutive editions prior to this year.
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