“Hail the terrifying giant.” The Norwegian press’s reactions to the victory over Iraq | sports

The Norwegian press received the start of its country’s team in the 2026 World Cup with a great deal of enthusiasm, after it opened its campaign in the tournament with a wide victory over Iraq, 4-1, in the match that was held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Boston, as part of the ninth group competitions.

Despite the great result, some Norwegian media believed that the performance was not ideal, and that the team needed realism and effectiveness more than aesthetics to resolve the confrontation against a competitor who returned to the World Cup for the first time in four decades.

Bad victory

The widely circulated newspaper “Aftenposten” chose a striking headline in its main coverage, written by Erlind Nysge, as she wrote: “Was the performance beautiful? At all,” before describing the victory as “a bad and delicious victory,” as the newspaper put it, indicating that the Norwegian team did not perform at its best technical levels, but it succeeded in achieving what is most important by obtaining the three points and beginning the World Cup campaign in the best possible way.

The newspaper believed that the team did not need to put on a show as much as it needed to emerge with a victory that would give it confidence early, especially in a short tournament that does not recognize the beauty of performance as much as it rewards teams capable of achieving results.

Hail Haaland

As for Verdens Gang, the most widely read and most visited newspaper on digital platforms in Norway, it highlighted the star Erling Haaland, who continued to confirm his position as the most prominent symbol of the current generation. Its opening title was: “Look now… salute Haaland,” in a clear celebration of what the Manchester City striker did, who led his country to a great victory and reaffirmed his ability to make a difference in major times.

The newspaper considered that Haaland has proven since the first match that he is ready to bear the responsibility of leading Norway in the tournament, and that the national team possesses an exceptional weapon that can change the course of matches at any moment, which gives Norwegian fans additional reasons to be optimistic about the possibility of going far in the World Cup.

The scary giant

For its part, the newspaper “Dagbladet”, known for its bold style and interest in sports and social news, chose to praise the Norwegian star through a brief but expressive headline, describing him as “frightening… a giant,” in reference to the dominance he imposed on the match and the major role he played in the Norwegian team’s superiority over its Iraqi counterpart.

The headlines of Norwegian newspapers reflected the state of satisfaction with the start of the World Cup, even if evaluations varied regarding the quality of the performance. While Aftenposten focused on the fact that the victory was more practical than fun, Verdens Gang and Dagbladet preferred to celebrate Haaland as the most prominent face of the team and the one who had the greatest influence on the successful start.

For the Norwegians, the victory over Iraq was not just 3 points in the first round, but rather an early message to the rest of the competitors that their team, led by Haaland, aspires to play an important role in the World Cup in 2026, even if it started with a performance that could be criticized.