Haaland fires Norway past Brazil into historic World Cup quarters

Erling Haaland struck twice in the dying minutes to fire Norway into uncharted territory at football's global showpiece, eliminating Brazil 2-1 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. The Manchester City forward found the net in the 79th and 90th minutes to send the five-time champions crashing out and secure the Scandinavians' first-ever World Cup quarterfinal berth.

The decisive goals arrived late in a contest that had remained goalless for 75 minutes, with Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland having earlier denied Bruno Guimaraes from the penalty spot. Brazil's resistance finally broke when substitute Andreas Schjelderup teed up Haaland on the edge of the area, allowing the striker to steer a low header past Alisson Becker.

Striker matches Messi and Mbappe tally

Haaland sealed the victory with a crisp low drive from outside the box in the 90th minute, taking his tournament tally to seven goals and drawing him level with Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappé atop the 2026 World Cup scoring charts. The strike proved decisive despite Neymar converting a penalty for Brazil in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

Tournament expands to 48 nations

The result marks a historic moment for Norwegian football as the nation advances beyond the round of 16 for the first time in its history. The 2026 tournament — co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — represents the first edition to feature 48 teams and will conclude on July 19, with Argentina defending the title they won in Qatar.