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Haaland sinks Brazil
Erling Haaland scored twice late as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in the nation's history, with the match played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“Erling Haaland scored two late goals to send Norway through to their first World Cup quarterfinal with a stunning 2-1 win over Brazil, which condemned the five-time champions to their earliest exit since 1990”
After a goalless stretch, Haaland headed Norway in front in the 79th minute and then scored again in the 89th minute to give Norway enough room to survive Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty.
The win condemned Brazil, the five-time champions, to their earliest exit since 1990 and their first World Cup quarterfinal miss since 1990, while Flashscore’s live updates said Norway had beaten Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
USA Today said Haaland scored his sixth goal of the tournament with a header in the 79th minute and followed with a left-footed goal in the 90th minute, while Al Jazeera described the brace as sending Norway through with a 2-1 win over Brazil.
As the result set up Norway’s next match, Flashscore said Norway would play the winner of Mexico and England in the quarter-finals, with the other side of the bracket still being decided after the Brazil result.
Quotes and match details
Neymar pulled a goal back deep into stoppage time with Brazil’s second spot kick, but Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland saved a first-half penalty from Bruno Guimaraes before Haaland struck twice late, according to Al Jazeera’s account.
USA Today quoted Andreas Schjelderup saying, "For Erling, I'm lost for words. We're all lost for words," after the match, while Flashscore’s live coverage highlighted that Haaland scored twice in the second half to earn a Flashscore rating of 8.7.
The BBC’s framing of the match’s turning points also centered on Haaland’s late header and second goal, and it described the game as Norway’s first-ever World Cup quarterfinal appearance.
Flashscore’s updates placed the decisive moments in sequence, including "23:42 CET - GOAL! NORWAY HAVE BROKEN THE DEADLOCK LATE ON!" and "23:53 CET - GOAL! HAALAND HAS ANOTHER AND NORWAY LEAD 2-0!" as the Scandinavians took control.
In the build-up to the quarterfinal, Al Jazeera said Haaland’s brace took him level with Lionel Messi on seven goals for the tournament, while Flashscore said the next opponents would be the winners of Mexico and England.
Quarterfinal stakes
Norway’s victory advanced them into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time, and it set up a showdown against either Mexico or England, with Flashscore saying Norway would play Mexico/England in the quarter-finals.
“Fifth-ranked Brazil look to reach the quarterfinals for the ninth World Cup competition in a row when they battle underdog Norway in a 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match on Sunday”
Al Jazeera said the quarterfinal would be a showdown against either cohosts Mexico or England in Miami on July 11, while TRT World said Norway would face either England or Mexico in the quarter-finals after eliminating Brazil.
The same sources tied the stakes to Brazil’s tournament trajectory, with Al Jazeera saying the result condemned the five-time champions to their earliest exit since 1990 and TRT World saying the five-time champions were dumped out in the Round of 16.
CBC’s match recap added that Norway’s next faces the winner of the Mexico-England round-of-16 game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, and it said Haaland’s brace carried Norway into the quarterfinals for the first time with a 2-1 victory over Brazil.
As the tournament moved forward, Flashscore’s live updates also said the game had been pushed back to 7:00pm local time due to prevailing storms, underscoring that the quarterfinal path was shaped by both on-field outcomes and match-day disruptions.
