By admin 
Norway entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup hoping to prove it belonged among the world’s elite. On Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, Erling Haaland ensured the tournament would never forget this Norwegian squad. The Manchester City superstar scored twice in the final 11 minutes to lift Norway to a stunning 2-1 victory over Brazil, sending the Scandinavian nation to its first-ever FIFA World Cup quarterfinal.
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In the process, Haaland added yet another remarkable milestone to his growing list of accomplishments. His latest brace not only eliminated five-time world champion Brazil earlier than expected, but it also cemented his place in Norwegian soccer history, giving him as many goals in this tournament as Norway had scored across all of its previous World Cup appearances combined.
Erling Haaland already has as many goals in this tournament as Norway had in their entire World Cup history entering this year pic.twitter.com/QMptnUqsmL
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 5, 2026
Haaland Rewrites Norway’s World Cup Record Book
Before the 2026 tournament began, Norway had scored just seven goals in its entire FIFA World Cup history.
Following his two-goal performance against Brazil, Haaland now has seven goals in this World Cup alone, matching Norway’s all-time total entering the tournament.
Yahoo Sports highlighted the remarkable achievement on social media shortly after the final whistle, writing:
“Erling Haaland already has as many goals in this tournament as Norway had in their entire World Cup history entering this year.”
The historic performance also moved Haaland into a tie for the Golden Boot lead with seven goals, alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Even more impressively, Haaland has now scored in 14 consecutive matches for Norway, totaling 27 goals during that incredible stretch.
Norway Shocks Brazil to Reach First-Ever Quarterfinal
For much of Sunday’s Round of 16 match, Brazil appeared capable of surviving despite missing an early penalty.
Bruno Guimarães had a golden opportunity to put Brazil ahead in the first half, but Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland guessed correctly and produced a huge save from the penalty spot.
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The match remained scoreless until the 79th minute, when Andreas Schjelderup delivered a cross from the left that Haaland buried to give Norway the breakthrough.
Then, with regulation winding down, Haaland struck again. The 25-year-old fired a powerful low finish into the corner in the 90th minute, giving Norway a two-goal cushion and effectively ending Brazil’s hopes.
Neymar converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it was merely consolation as Norway celebrated the biggest victory in the history of its men’s national team.
The win also snapped Brazil’s remarkable streak of reaching every World Cup quarterfinal from 1994 through 2022. It marks the Seleção’s earliest World Cup exit since 1990 and extends Brazil’s World Cup title drought, which will now reach at least 28 years by the time the 2030 tournament begins.
Haaland’s World Cup Continues to Grow More Legendary
Haaland’s 2026 World Cup has quickly become one of the defining performances of the tournament.
He opened the competition with a two-goal performance against Iraq before adding another brace versus Senegal. He then scored the winner against Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 before delivering Sunday’s unforgettable brace against Brazil.
That gives Haaland seven goals through just four World Cup matches, an astonishing pace that has Norway dreaming of an improbable championship run.
Next up will be a quarterfinal matchup against either England or Mexico, with Haaland and Norway now just two victories away from reaching the FIFA World Cup Final.
If Haaland continues scoring at this rate, even more history could be waiting.
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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 3:42 PM.