Norway produced one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history on Monday, as Erling Haaland’s clinical brace secured a 2-1 victory over Brazil to eliminate the five-time winners in the Round of 16.
At the New York New Jersey Stadium, Brazil dominated lengthy spells of the contest but were repeatedly thwarted by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, whose string of fine saves kept the South American favourites at bay. The Scandinavians were handed an early reprieve when Bruno Guimarães saw his first-half penalty saved after a VAR review, a miss that proved increasingly costly as the match wore on.
Haaland broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, rising above the Brazilian defence to power a close-range header past Alisson from Andreas Schjelderup’s lofted delivery. The goal shifted the momentum decisively in Norway’s favour, and they defended with remarkable discipline as Brazil threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.
Deep into stoppage time, Schjelderup turned provider once more, sliding a precise pass to Haaland on the edge of the area. The Manchester City striker kept his composure to fire low into the bottom-right corner, sealing his brace and all but ending Brazil’s campaign.
Neymar converted a late penalty for Brazil in the dying seconds to reduce the deficit to 2-1, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as Norway held on through the final whistle to book a historic quarter-final berth.
For Brazil, the defeat marks their earliest World Cup exit since 1990, while Norway continue their fairytale run as they await the winners of the England–Mexico tie.
