International striker Erling Haaland led the Norwegian national team to achieve a historic victory over its Brazilian counterpart with a score of (2-1), qualifying the European team to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup Finals for the first time in its history.
Despite the close defensive control imposed on the Manchester City player throughout the confrontation that took place on Sunday evening, Haaland’s offensive effectiveness decided the match with two goals that took his country to an unprecedented elimination stage.
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The 25-year-old striker made only four touches of the ball inside the penalty area throughout the quarter-final match, but he took advantage of one of them to break the tie and give his country the lead in the 79th minute.
Haaland returned 11 minutes later to send a powerful, creeping low shot from outside the operations area that landed in the Brazilian net, confirming his high scoring sense that makes him one of the most terrifying strikers in the world of football, and raising his score to 7 goals, making him equal at the top of the scorers’ standings (Golden Boot) with Frenchman Kylian Mbappe and Argentine Lionel Messi.
His touches make the difference
In his technical reading of the winning goal, former Scotland national team winger, Pat Nevin, said in statements to BBC Radio 5 Live: “You cannot see any other player doing what Haaland did. There was no opportunity originally, not even a half or quarter chance, there was nothing at all.”
For his part, former England national team striker Ian Wright commented on ITV, saying: “People constantly talk about the number of touches Haaland has on the ball, but he has proven that he does not need many touches to make a difference.”
Thanks to the Manchester City star’s double, Norway settled a historic confrontation against the giant of the South American continent.
With their first participation in the global forum since the 1998 edition, coach Steel Solbakken’s men are only three matches away from embracing a world title that seemed out of reach, and they are awaited by an anticipated confrontation in the next round against England.
With the presence of a player of Haaland’s size and specifications, the ceiling of Norwegian ambitions is now limitless, which was confirmed by former English star Wayne Rooney on BBC One, saying: “Haaland has instilled in the spirit of the entire country a firm belief in their ability to go far in this tournament.”
Terrifying numbers in the international march
The Norwegian striker’s international tally is exceptional. He previously scored a hat-trick against the Moldova national team, in addition to signing five other hat-tricks.
In this regard, former England defender Gary Neville told ETV: “Haaland has a tremendous charismatic personality. It was said about him in the past that he had not yet proven his worth on the world stage, and now the curtain has come down on this statement completely.”
Haaland has proven his efficiency in the largest forum by scoring 7 goals in 4 matches he played. The young striker succeeded in scoring a brace against Iraq and Senegal during the group stage, before the technical staff decided to rest him in the match against France, which the team lost 4-1 after Solbakken made 10 changes to the starting lineup.
It seems that this decision has paid off; His brace against Brazil was added to the late winning goal he scored against Ivory Coast in the round of 32.
Haaland raised his scoring tally to 62 goals in the 54 international matches he played with the first team, at a rate of one goal every 71 minutes.
What is interesting about this tally is that only 6 of the goals came from the penalty spot. The City striker also managed to score in the last 14 competitive matches he played with Norway, scoring 27 goals in this series.
The last official confrontation in which he failed to score with his country’s national team dates back to October 2024, and was against Austria in the framework of the European Nations League competitions.
He defeated Gabriel in the duel
The pre-match halls witnessed extensive analyzes of the direct bilateral conflict between Haaland and the defender of the Brazilian national team and the English club Arsenal, Gabriel Magalies. In this new chapter of the duo’s struggle, the features of which took shape in English stadiums, the final and final word was for the Norwegian striker.
In the first half, Gabriel seemed to be imposing his control over the confrontation, after Haaland was deprived of freedom and was content with only one touch of the ball inside the penalty area before going to the locker rooms.
But as the lines of play opened up in the second half, spaces began to appear in front of the Norwegian star, and Brazil eventually paid the price. Haaland succeeded in rising above Gabriel and directing a header into the net, announcing the lead goal, while the Brazilian defender turned into a mere spectator in the second goal shot.
According to statistics, Haaland only touched the ball 30 times throughout the match, which is the same scoring rate as his colleague Antonio Nosa, who left the field as a substitute in the first half, and he only completed 13 correct passes.
The data indicated that his expected goals percentage (xG) was 0.39, which reflects his lack of absolute dominance over the course of the game, but that did not prevent him from being chosen as the undisputed champion of the Norwegian epic.
In his technical commentary, former Arsenal defender Matt Opson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Does Haaland touch the ball a lot? Actually no, this is his playing philosophy; he relies on seizing decisive moments and appearing in crucial times.”
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock added: “The numbers indicate that his average number of touches reaches only 14 touches per goal, which is an indicator that sums up his competitive advantages. What he offers to the team goes beyond that, as he makes unselfish tactical runs at the backs of the defenders, forcing them to move backwards, which gives the midfielders vast spaces to advance.”
For his part, Haaland expressed his conviction that he is going through a phase of continuous rise towards new record levels, saying: “I have reached the peak of my level at certain points during this tournament, but I feel that I am reaching new peaks from time to time. If I have one or two chances, I score most of the time. I do not know the exact explanation for that, but this is my style. The matter lies in maintaining the highest levels of concentration and exploiting the available opportunities, and I usually succeed in making up for it even if I am not successful in the first attempt.”
A crazy day in Norwegian football history
Hours before the starting whistle, thousands of Norwegian fans gathered around the stadium, wearing Viking helmets and chanting the songs and chants that characterized their presence in this World Cup, under the shades of huge red flags. The atmosphere was not limited to enthusiasm, but there was a general feeling of confidence and ability to confront adults.
For many years, Norway has been watching the finals of major tournaments from the spectators’ seats despite having world-class talent. This is only the fourth participation in its history in the World Cup, and the first in 28 years (1998 edition).
Her best previous achievement was limited to reaching the final eight twice, half a century apart (in 1938 and 1998), and she had never won a match in the World Cup knockout rounds before last Tuesday, so she has now recorded two consecutive victories, the most recent of which came against the record holder for winning the world title (5 times).
In turn, tactical analyst Stephen Warnock said: “The strong emotions shown by Haaland are completely justified. He is defending the colors of one of the most prominent first-class clubs in the world, but at the national team level, Norway is not traditionally classified among the great powers. Norway has begun to formulate its own history, and Haaland stands at the forefront of this transformation.”
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