Erling Haaland scores twice as Norway stuns Brazil 2-1, reaches World Cup quarterfinals for first time

Jul 5, 2026

Norway makes history by defeating Brazil 2-1 in New Jersey to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal. Erling Haaland stars with a late second-half brace, bringing his tournament tally to seven goals. Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland preserves the historic win by saving an early Bruno Guimaraes penalty. Neymar scores a late consolation penalty for Brazil before confirming his retirement from international football, ending his World Cup career as Brazil suffers its earliest exit since 1990.

Norway's World Cup upset

▪Norway's victory over Brazil marked the fifth meeting between the two nations, extending Norway's undefeated head-to-head record to three wins and two draws.
▪Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup round of 16 on July 5, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Haaland's match-winning brace

▪Erling Haaland scored twice in the second half, heading in a cross from Andreas Schjelderup in the 79th minute and driving a low shot from outside the box in the 90th minute.
▪Erling Haaland has scored 62 goals in 54 senior international appearances for Norway, including 27 goals during a 14-match scoring streak in competitive internationals.
▪Erling Haaland's brace brought his tournament total to seven goals, placing him level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings.

Brazil's penalty misses

▪Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti stated that Bruno Guimaraes was selected for the penalty because statistical studies ranked him behind only the unavailable Raphinha and Neymar.
▪Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland saved a 14th-minute penalty kick from Brazil's Bruno Guimaraes after Kristoffer Ajer fouled Matheus Cunha in the box.
▪Bruno Guimaraes became the first Brazil player to miss a World Cup penalty kick since Zico in 1986.

Norway's historic quarterfinal run

▪Norway's victory set up a quarterfinal matchup against England on Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
▪Norway reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the country's history, surpassing their previous best round-of-16 finishes in 1938 and 1998.

Neymar's international career end

▪Following Brazil's elimination, 34-year-old Neymar announced that the match was his final appearance for the Brazilian national team.
▪Neymar scored a penalty kick 10 minutes into stoppage time to register Brazil's only goal in the 2-1 defeat.