EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Erling Haaland headed within the go-ahead purpose within the eightieth minute and scored once more earlier than the tip of regulation time, carrying Norway into the World Cup quarterfinals for the primary time with a 2-1 victory over Brazil on Sunday that showcased the towering striker on soccer’s largest stage.
After being a nonfactor for a lot of the afternoon and having restricted touches, Haaland turned it on when it mattered most, getting the fitting facet of his head on the ball after an ideal setup by Andreas Schjelderup, who entered at halftime. Schjelderup jumped on Haaland’s again to have fun the 6-foot-5 striker scoring his sixth purpose on the World Cup and did so once more after aiding on his seventh, tying Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé of France for essentially the most within the match.
Haaland prolonged his streak of scoring to 14 consecutive aggressive matches internationally. He has 27 in that stretch and 62 in 54 with Norway.
On the different finish, goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland was stellar. He made a vital cease early, diving to his left to disclaim Bruno Guimarães’ penalty kick within the 14th minute, then obtained his left hand on a shot by Endrick late when Norway was hanging on to a one-goal lead.
The one purpose Nyland allowed was to Neymar on a penalty kick late in stoppage time, which modified simply the ultimate rating.
Nyland, who at 35 is his crew’s oldest participant, was an enormous think about a historic victory that ranks among the many most vital within the nation’s historical past — at the least on the lads’s facet. Norway’s girls’s crew received the World Cup in 1995, however the males have solely certified 4 occasions and never since 1998. That they had not gone additional than the spherical of 16.
Norway subsequent faces the winner of the Mexico-England round-of-16 game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Guimarães turned the primary Brazil participant to not rating on a World Cup penalty kick since Zico in 1986. The choice to have him take it as a substitute of star Vinícius Júnior introduced instant second-guessing and could also be questioned and criticized for fairly a while.
There have been loads of different missed alternatives, together with Casemiro lacking Neymar on a crossing try on what might have been the tying purpose.
Brazil goes dwelling having massively underachieved expectations set just about at win or bust for the five-time World Cup champions. The worldwide powerhouse had its streak of quarterfinal appearances on the match finish at eight, dropping earlier than that stage for the primary time since 1990.
It was Brazil’s seventh consecutive loss to European opponents on the World Cup, courting to beating Germany within the 2002 ultimate. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paquetá didn’t assist, regardless that Gabriel Martinelli confirmed off his pace at occasions after being coach Carlo Ancelotti’s selection to enter the beginning lineup.
Norway obtained defender Julian Ryerson again from his damage that sidelined him the previous two video games, and coach Ståle Solbakken was rewarded for making the modifications at halftime by Schjelderup organising every of Haaland’s objectives.
These strikes performed a job within the upset, although this one was not almost as huge because the group stage in 1998. Norway confirmed how a lot it had developed as a soccer nation since then, with knocking off Brazil the newest step in that course of.
Yellow-clad Seleção followers outnumbered these in Norway pink, a lot of whom did the now-famous Viking Row within the stands — with Brazil supporters even cheering it earlier than kickoff. Brazil’s followers have been surprised silent when it returned after the sport.
Additionally within the sellout crowd of 80,663 have been rapper Jay-Z, comic Chris Rock, actor Woody Harrelson, actress Sofía Vergara and basketball participant Jalen Brunson of the NBA-champion New York Knicks, who elicited a wholesome roar when he was proven on video screens.
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