FIFA World Cup 2026: Erling Haaland Fires Norway Past Brazil, Neymar In Tears After Shock Round Of 16 Exit
Norway national football team vs Brazil national football team: Erling Haaland was once again the hero for Norway as the forward scored a brace to put his team into the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Brazil faced their first Round of 16 exit in the World Cup since 1990. After 79 minutes, Haaland used every inch of his 6-foot-5-inch body to head in the first goal before blasting home a shot from distance, as Norway ignored the heat and noise despite being greatly outnumbered by their supporters in what felt like a sauna.
Neymar scores consolation goal in injury time
Neymar’s penalty deep into stoppage time was little consolation for Brazil. He became only the second player for the five-time champions to have scored in four different World Cups, but it would not mean too much for the winger who was in tears after the full-time whistle was blown.
Erling Haaland spices FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race
Haaland pulled level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race with his second goal, his seventh of the tournament. Playing in his first FIFA World Cup, the Manchester City forward has scored in each of his first four games. He did not play the final group stage game against France; otherwise, he could have very well been leading the goal-scoring charts.
Bruno Guimaraes misses penalty early in first half
The momentum appeared in Brazil’s favour at the start, as Kristoffer Ajer conceded an early penalty with a foolish challenge on Matheus Cunha after 13 minutes. But the Brazilian fans were left scratching their heads as Guimaraes stepped up to take the kick instead of Vinicius Junior and that confusion turned to exasperation when Orjan Nyland dived left to save the penalty.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken replaced both wingers after halftime, sending on Andreas Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb, a masterstroke that gave Haaland the supporting cast he needed to put on a show.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Erling Haaland scores brace to send Norway to Quarter-Finals
The Manchester City striker was a full head above the Brazilian defenders as he headed in the opener from a superb cross by Schjelderup.
Eleven minutes later, Schjelderup again teed up Haaland, who appeared exhausted but found enough strength to fire in an unstoppable strike from outside the box as Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti sat grim-faced in the dugout.
Neymar’s penalty 10 minutes into added time did little to change it. Norway will play Mexico or England in the quarter-finals.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo Confirms Retirement After FIFA World Cup 2026: Portugal Legend Set for Final World Cup Journey
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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