Skip to content
Sign In Subscribe
FIFA World Cup — Match Report

Norway stuns Brazil in East Rutherford to reach World Cup quarterfinals

Erling Haaland's two goals helped Norway make history as they advanced past Brazil with a 2-1 win to reach the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the first time in the nation's history.

,   and  Mark Radigan
4 min read
Another brace in New Jersey for Erling Haaland.

Norway came into New York/New Jersey Stadium playing with house money, while Brazil returned to East Rutherford, New Jersey under all-too familiar pressure to perform.

What transpired on the pitch on Sunday afternoon reflected that, as a loose and confident Norway side advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in their history with a 2-1 win thanks to two late goals from talisman Erling Haaland, with Neymar clawing back a consolation goal for Brazil from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time.

With a towering header in the 85th minute matched by a fierce strike from outside the box in the 89th, Haaland was the hero as the Group I runners-up made Brazil uncomfortable the entire day, outplaying them in nearly every facet of the match.

The Norwegians looked up for it from the opening kickoff, pushing Brazil back in their own half and threatening the defense early. Norway's Patrick Berg found the back of the net inside the first few minutes, but it was quickly called back for offside, with Alexander Sørloth deemed a step off in the build-up.

Brazil, for its part, had a chance to find the breakthrough not long after at the other end, when Matheus Cunha was brought down for a stonewall penalty by Kristoffer Ajer — but midfielder Bruno Guimarães lacked confidence in his run-up and saw his effort from the spot saved by Norway's Ørjan Nyland.

Following a chaotic opening 15 minutes, the first half devolved into a flurry of end-to-end spells of possession with few chances falling to either side. Norway dominated possession with 65% of the ball, yet both sides forced just two saves each from Alisson and Nyland. The second half saw Brazil grow into the game, but not at the expense of Norway, whose confidence as a squad only grew stronger as the minutes ticked on, before Haaland took matters into his own hands and made the difference.

GAME STATS

Brazil: 2.75 xG, 14 shots, 4 shots on target, 34% possession, 329 passes, 85% pass accuracy, 7 fouls, 5 corners, 3 saves

Norway: 0.84 xG, 9 shots, 5 shots on target, 66% possession, 680 passes, 91% pass accuracy, 6 fouls, 5 corners, 4 saves

Goals:
• Norway, Erling Haaland, 79'
Norway, Erling Haaland, 90'
Brazil, Neymar (PK), 90'+10'

Attendance: 80,663

The Manchester City FC No 9 didn't see a chance fall to him until late in the first half, with his looping effort in the 37th minute forcing an easy save out of Alisson in Brazil's goal. Norway tested the former Liverpool man throughout the match, with Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard and Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup both seeing attempts saved on either side of halftime.

The Seleção looked lackluster in attack all afternoon long, struggling to create chances and leaving players like Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha on an island to create for themselves. Though Brazil outshot Norway 14-9 overall, Brazil only managed to put four shots on target, with Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland standing on his head when called upon to keep Carlo Ancelotti's men at bay.

If not for Haaland's late second-half brace, Nyland would certainly be the Player of the Match for Norway, keeping the Norwegians in it with a couple of truly emphatic saves, including a cat-like reflexive stop in the 85th minute that will be in the running for Save of the Tournament.

All eyes were on Erling Haaland going into this contest, and Norway's all-time leading goalscorer did not disappoint. He may have made the Norway fans wait anxiously until the cusp of full-time, but the pride of Leeds produced the greatest moment in his nation's footballing history, with his two late goals giving Norway its biggest win at a World Cup ever.

His first came in the 79th minute, in typical Haaland fashion. Schjelderup chipped in a perfectly-weighted ball towards Haaland in the middle of the box before the Viking leaped highest over Arsenal's Gabriel and thumped the ball past Alisson. The towering header incited a reaction that could only be called euphoric, with the entire Norwegian team dog-piling Haaland at the corner flag while Brazilian fans in attendance were left stunned.

Nyland's brilliant save five minutes later gave Brazil hope for finding an equalizer, before Haaland dashed those hopes like a wet pinch on a lit candle, picking up the ball at the edge of the Brazil penalty area and firing a piledriver into the bottom-right corner right as the clock hit 90 minutes. A stellar finish to match the magnitude of the moment Haaland had just created for not only himself, but for his teammates, his coaches, and the Norwegians watching across the world.

The enigmatic Norwegian now sits tied atop the World Cup's Golden Boot race with seven goals, level with France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Sunday afternoon was Haaland's third brace of the tournament after two-goal performances vs Senegal in East Rutherford, plus Iraq in Boston during the group stage.

The final few minutes saw moments of controlled chaos as emotions began to boil over for Brazil. Neymar, who came on for Brazil after the second-half hydration break in the 67th minute, received the game's only yellow card for his part in a scuffle between players from both sides.

He followed that up with a coolly-dispatched penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time for his 80th goal for Brazil, though it was merely a late consolation for the five-time champions, who crashed out in the Round of 16 after reaching the quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022.

While Brazil will feel that they should have done more on Sunday, Norway were the fully-deserved victors on the day. The Scandinavian nation outplayed the Brazilians in both attack and defense, and continued its fairy-tale run into the quarterfinals. They'll travel to Miami next to face either Mexico or England in their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal, scheduled to be played on the night of Saturday, July 11 at 5:00 pm ET.

Hope you enjoyed this free post! Consider paying to subscribe or donate to support our work.

Comments

Related

Latest