Erling Haaland produced a brilliant late performance as Norway shocked Brazil 2-1 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
The Manchester City striker scored twice in the final 11 minutes to end Brazil’s hopes and secure a famous victory for the Scandinavian nation in their last-16 clash in New Jersey.
Brazil were left to regret a missed first-half penalty by Bruno Guimaraes, while Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland played a key role with several important saves.
Norway thought they had taken the lead after just four minutes when Patrick Berg found the net, but the goal was ruled out after Alexander Sorloth was judged to be offside.
Brazil were then handed a great opportunity to open the scoring in the 15th minute after Kristoffer Ajer brought down Matheus Cunha inside the penalty area. However, Guimaraes failed to take advantage as Nyland saved his penalty.
The Norwegian goalkeeper continued his impressive display by denying Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian forward capitalised on a mistake by Norway captain Martin Odegaard.
Brazil increased the pressure after the break and introduced teenage striker Endrick in the 58th minute. The youngster almost made an instant impact but failed to hit the target after being played through by Vinicius.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti later brought on Neymar in search of a breakthrough, but Norway remained dangerous on the counter-attack.
The breakthrough finally came in the 79th minute. Andreas Schjelderup delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area and Haaland got ahead of defender Gabriel to head past Alisson and give Norway the lead.
Brazil pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Haaland struck again in the 90th minute. The 25-year-old collected the ball outside the penalty area and fired a superb low shot beyond Alisson to seal Norway’s historic victory.
Brazil were awarded a late penalty in stoppage time after referee Ismail Elfath ruled that Leo Ostigard had fouled Casemiro. Neymar converted the spot-kick, but it was too late to change the outcome.
Haaland Delivers When It Matters
Much of the attention before the match focused on the battle between Haaland and Brazil defender Gabriel. For much of the game, the Arsenal defender managed to keep the Norwegian striker quiet.
However, Haaland once again showed his quality by scoring twice when it mattered most. His goals took his tally at the tournament to seven, putting him level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
Norway made the most of their chances despite enjoying only a small share of possession, while Brazil failed to turn their opportunities into goals.
Pressure Mounts on Ancelotti
The defeat means Brazil have been eliminated before the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990, raising fresh questions about the future of head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The former Real Madrid manager took charge of Brazil in 2025 and guided them to the World Cup, but this disappointing exit is likely to increase pressure on the Italian coach.
For Norway, however, it was a night to remember as Haaland’s heroics secured a historic place in the last eight, where they will face either England or co-hosts Mexico.
