Haaland delivers again: Norway stuns Brazil to reach historic World Cup quarterfinal

Erling Haaland's blonde ponytail is usually the easiest landmark to track on a football pitch – charging into open space with defenders trailing hopelessly behind. On Sunday, that wasn't the story for most of the match. But the ending? The same script. Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 in the round of 16, punching a ticket to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the nation's history. The 25-year-old Manchester City striker had only four touches inside the box during the last-16 tie. Yet with one of them, he broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. Eleven minutes later, he drove a low shot from outside the area to seal the win – a strike that underlined why he is the most feared center-forward on the planet. Those goals lifted Haaland to seven in four World Cup matches, tying him with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi atop the Golden Boot race. "You don't see any other player doing that," former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said on broadcaster Radio 5 Live of the second goal. "There was not a chance there. There wasn't a half chance, a quarter chance. Nothing." Ian Wright, the former England striker, added on ITV: "People constantly talk about how many touches he has. He didn't have to have a lot of touches." Norway, competing at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, now stands three wins away from an improbable world title. Next up: England or co-hosts Mexico. With Haaland in the lineup, Stale Solbakken's side believes anything is possible. "He has given the whole country belief that they can go really far in this competition," Wayne Rooney said on broadcaster One. Haaland's international numbers are staggering. He has scored 62 goals in 54 senior appearances for Norway – a goal every 71 minutes. Only six of those have come from penalties. He has now scored in each of his last 14 competitive appearances for the national team, totaling 27 goals in that span. To find the last competitive match where he failed to score for Norway, you have to go back to October 2024 – a Nations League defeat to Austria. Before kickoff, much was made of Haaland's duel with Brazil and Arsenal center-back Gabriel. The Premier League rivals have a history, and for much of the game, Gabriel seemed to have the upper hand, limiting Haaland to a single touch inside the box before halftime. But as the match opened up, so did the space for Norway's talisman. It was Gabriel whom Haaland beat to head home the opener – and for the second goal, the Brazilian was a mere spectator. Haaland finished with only 30 touches, the same as teammate Antonio Nusa, who was substituted at halftime. He completed just 13 passes. His expected goals (xG) was 0.39, suggesting he was far from dominant. But the result left no doubt about who Norway's hero was. "Does he ever have many touches? Not really. This is how he plays and it is moments – key moments when he turns up," former Arsenal defender Matt Upson told broadcaster Radio 5 Live. Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock added: "He averages about 14 touches per goal, which tells you everything. But what he does is he makes unselfish runs in behind, he pins defenders and allows the midfield to get up." Haaland himself believes he is hitting a "new peak." "I peaked a couple of times in this tournament, but every now and then I get a new peak," he said. "If I have a chance or two, then very often I score. I'm not quite sure, but this is what I do. It's all about being focused and taking the chances I get. And I normally get them even if I don't score on the first one."