Erling Haaland stood still with a surprising smile, like a child receiving a favorite gift. For a player who is too familiar with miracles, the image of the Norwegian striker being surprised by his own achievements is rare.
Norway did not have a very convincing performance against Ivory Coast in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, and Haaland was also not the most prominent name for most of the match.
However, just like what many defenses in Europe, the Premier League or the World Cup have experienced, Haaland's "silence" does not mean that he loses danger. Like a lion secretly lurking for prey, the Norwegian striker only needs a moment to punish his opponent.
In fact, Haaland still made a significant impact, even though not in the opponent's penalty area. In the first 31 minutes, he only touched the ball three times but had two important interventions right in his own penalty area.
In the whole match, Haaland touched the ball seven times in Norway's penalty area, twice more than the number of touches in Ivory Coast's penalty area. He made a significant contribution to helping his team withstand pressure when the opponent was awarded 14 corner kicks - the second highest number in a match without extra time at the 2026 World Cup.
The ability to influence with a meager number of touches continues to be Haaland's special point. In addition to the two penalty areas, he only had 14 more touches in 90 minutes.
In total, Haaland only touched the ball 27 times - the least among the starting players who played over 60 minutes. Even Amad Diallo, who came on in the 60th minute, also had the same number of touches as him, while goalkeeper Orjan Nyland touched the ball 16 times more.
However, Haaland still launched four shots, the most in the match, and always made the Ivory Coast defense maintain vigilance every time Norway organized a counter-attack. And the decisive moment came in the 86th minute.
After a beautiful combination between Oscar Bobb and Patrick Berg, a cross "preparing the feast" helped Haaland easily tap the ball into the net to score a goal to seal the 2-1 victory. Despite being a bit confused when finishing, the 26-year-old striker still completed his task to put Norway ahead just 12 minutes after Amad Diallo's equalizer.
That is the quality that creates Haaland's brand. Not only possessing physique, excellent mobility and positioning ability, the Norwegian striker also always maintains patience and concentration, ready to appear at the right time when the team needs it most.
The goal against Ivory Coast means that Haaland has scored in 7.25% of touches at the 2026 World Cup - the highest rate among players with at least 60 touches at a World Cup since 1966.
This goal also helped him become the second player in the past 50 years to score 5 or more goals (excluding penalties) in his first three appearances at the World Cup, after Miroslav Klose in 2002. At the same time, Haaland has increased his scoring record in the Norwegian national team to 25 goals in just the last 13 matches.
Considered the "dark horse" at the 2026 World Cup, Norway will face Brazil in the round of 16. Faced with a much bigger challenge, Haaland continues to be the biggest hope for the Northern European team to nurture the dream of creating a surprise.
