Haaland double sends Norway to historic World Cup quarter-final

Erling Haaland's bobbing blonde hair is usually one of the easiest things to spot on a football pitch, often charging into open space at full tilt with defenders scrambling in pursuit. That was not so much the case on Sunday, but still he scored twice, as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time.

The 25-year-old only had four touches inside the box in the last-16 tie, but with one of them, he broke the deadlock 79 minutes in. His second 11 minutes later—a low drive from outside the box—underlined the clinical edge that makes him one of the most feared strikers in world football as he moved level with France's Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings with seven goals.

Haaland's decisive moments

"You don't see any other player doing that," former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said of the winning goal on BBC Radio 5 Live. "There was not a chance there. There wasn't a half chance, quarter chance. Nothing."

"People constantly talk about how many touches he has," said former England striker Ian Wright on ITV. "He didn't have to have a lot of touches."

Haaland's goals meant Norway sealed a historic victory over the South Americans. Competing at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, Stale Solbakken's side now stand just three wins away from an unlikely world title, with England to come next after they beat Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling last-16 encounter. But with gamechanger Haaland in their ranks, Norway will believe anything is possible.

"He has given the whole country belief that they can go really far in this competition," said Wayne Rooney on BBC One.

Haaland's international record

Haaland's international CV already included a five-goal haul against Moldova and five hat-tricks. "Haaland is a massive character, a personality," former England defender Gary Neville told ITV. "Sometimes it's said 'he's never done it on the world stage' and that's now been removed."

Haaland has indeed delivered on the biggest stage with seven goals in four games. The 25-year-old forward had scored twice against both Iraq and Senegal in the group stage before he was rested, as Norway made 10 changes, in a 4-1 defeat by France. But it seems to have paid dividends with his double against Brazil adding to the late winner against Ivory Coast in the last 32.

Haaland has scored 62 goals in 54 senior internationals—averaging a goal every 71 minutes. More impressively, only six of those goals have been penalties. The Manchester City striker has now scored in each of his past 14 competitive appearances for Norway, claiming 27 goals in that run. You have to go all the way back to October 2024 to find a competitive match in which he did not score for his nation—against Austria in the Nations League.

Haaland vs Gabriel

There was plenty of talk about Haaland's battle with Brazil and Arsenal centre-back Gabriel before kick-off. In the latest chapter of a rivalry forged in the Premier League, Haaland had the final say. Gabriel appeared to have the upper hand as Haaland was limited to only a single touch inside the box before the break. But as the game opened up, so too did the space for the Norway talisman—and Brazil were eventually made to pay.

It was Gabriel whom Haaland beat for the header to pull his side ahead, while the Brazilian was a mere spectator for his second. Haaland only had 30 touches all game—the same as team-mate Antonio Nusa who was taken off at half-time—and completed just 13 passes. His expected goals (xG) of 0.39 also suggested he was far from dominant, but there was little doubt about who was Norway's hero.

Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Does he ever have many touches? Not really. This is how he plays and it is moments. Key moments when he turns up."