Erling Haaland sends Norway into World Cup quarter-finals

Erling Haaland scored twice in the last 10 minutes as Norway beat Brazil 2–1 in a World Cup last-16 match at New York New Jersey Stadium, according to The Guardian. The goals were his sixth and seventh of the tournament and sent Norway into the quarter-finals for the first time. Norway’s comeback arrived after a match in which Brazil had earlier been handed a penalty via VAR, only for Bruno Guimarães to see his shot saved by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Håskjold Nyland.

The result lands as a rare kind of upset: not a minnow’s miracle, but a mid-sized European football nation turning a single elite striker into a tournament lever. The Guardian reports Norway had tried to dominate the first half without converting that ambition into clear chances, and that Haaland was largely peripheral before the break. The game shifted after Norway made a double substitution at half-time, bringing on Andreas Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb; Schjelderup then supplied the cross for Haaland’s equaliser and the low pass for his added-time winner.

Brazil’s own decisions read like a story of a team trying to manage risk and instead manufacturing it. Carlo Ancelotti started Gabriel Martinelli in central midfield as a replacement for the injured Lucas Paquetá, a role Martinelli does not usually play at club level, The Guardian notes. When Brazil were awarded a penalty after VAR overturned the referee’s initial call on a foul on Matheus Cunha, Vinícius Júnior did not take it; Ancelotti said the choice of Guimarães was based on internal statistical analysis. The penalty was saved, and the match stayed open long enough for Norway’s late surge to matter.

VAR, in other words, touched the game at both ends. Norway had an early goal disallowed for offside involving Julian Ryerson and Patrick Berg. Brazil were first denied and then granted a penalty after review. The system delivered more “correct” outcomes in the narrow sense, but it also ensured the match was decided by a sequence of stoppages, reversals, and set-piece moments—exactly the kind of environment where a team built around one decisive finisher can outlast a deeper squad.

Haaland’s two goals came from service created by a substitute, and from a Norway side The Guardian says coach Ståle Solbakken has been building for about five years. Brazil had chances and made changes of their own, including sending on Endrick shortly after half-time, but the final minutes belonged to the team that still had a clear route to goal.

Norway’s quarter-final place was sealed by a header in the 79th minute and a finish in added time. Brazil left the stadium having missed a penalty and conceded twice after the 80-minute mark.