The match between Norway and Brazil in the 1/8 round of the 2026 World Cup closed with a 2-1 victory for the European representative. After winning the championship in 2002, Brazil has not been able to reach the final again and they have stopped against teams from the old continent in 6 consecutive World Cups.
A match that was both not too good and unlucky for Selecao, but in general, they had nothing to regret when losing to Norway. Brazil had delicious chances such as Bruno Guimaraes' penalty or Endrick's one-on-one situation. All were missed very regrettably, directly sending the samba dancers home.
In the opposite direction, with just 2 chances, Erling Haaland scored 2 goals for Norway. The fear comes from the 25-year-old striker in that before that he was almost completely cut off from contact with the midfield. With the first goal, Erling Haaland beat Gabriel Magalhaes in an aerial situation to head the ball into Alisson Becker's net. Then, from a distance of more than 20m outside the penalty area, Haaland launched a hammer-like shot, sending the ball straight into the bottom corner of Brazil's goal.
The moment the Man City striker increased the score to 2-0, everyone understood that everything was over for Brazil. As for Norway, they continued to write another chapter in World Cup history.
Not many strikers have a 100% chance conversion rate like Haaland in the recent match. Looking broadly in the last 14 matches when he joined the national team, the Man City star scored continuously and reached the number of 27 goals. Haaland has currently played 54 matches for the Norwegian national team and scored 62 goals. He is the person who holds the record for scoring the most goals for the national team.
The most frightening thing about Haaland is the coldness and killer instinct of a specialist in "kicking the net" of the opponent. For many strikers, when there is no chance in a few tens of minutes, handling neatly when placed in a favorable position is almost impossible. However, with Haaland, he always maintains his concentration at the highest level and just one chance, the 25-year-old striker made the opponent suffer.
When the match time passed 79 minutes, the Manchester City star touched the ball 20 times, with only 4 times in the penalty area. He had a few shots but were not counted as chances because he was completely blocked by the opponent. The remaining 11 official minutes were a completely different story. After Haaland's opening goal, the Brazilian defense stars were not yet recovered when they immediately received another cold shower.
Television cameras continuously focused on the faces of Brazilian defenders, especially Gabriel. In the past two seasons in the Premier League, this was a very fierce confrontation between individuals representing the two championship-winning teams, Arsenal and Man City. A few months ago, Gabriel could be proud of Man City when he won the championship with Arsenal. But this time at MetLife Stadium, he had to give that aura to his opponent.
After a double against Brazil, Erling Haaland has increased the total number of goals at the 2026 World Cup to 7 goals, equaling the achievement of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the top scorer race. Norway, although overcoming Brazil, has not yet been placed in the ranks of championship candidates like Argentina or France. However, no one considers them an unknown anymore. "The Viking warriors" are no longer dark horses, they are the real warhorse at this year's tournament.
In the quarter-finals, Norway's opponent will be England, after the "Three Lions" struggled to overcome the host Mexico. Once again, Haaland faces familiar opponents in the Premier League. This time, Norwegian fans again expect their number 1 star to continue to shine so that everyone can perform a "boat-riding" celebration after the final whistle sounded.
