NEW YORK, July 6 — Erling Haaland scored twice in the closing stages as Norway stunned five-time champion Brazil 2-1 to reach its first World Cup quarterfinal at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Orjan Nyland saved an early penalty from Bruno Guimaraes before the Norway striker broke the deadlock with a powerful header and added a second 11 minutes later. The towering Manchester City striker bullied his way past Gabriel Magalhaes and headed Andreas Schjelderup’s cross past Alisson to give Norway a 79th-minute lead. In the 90th minute, Haaland drilled a low shot through the legs of Danilo Santos and past Alisson. The brace moved Haaland level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe on seven goals for the tournament. He now has 62 goals in 54 senior caps for Norway. Neymar, who came on in the 67th minute, pulled one back from the penalty spot in stoppage time, but it was too late as Brazil was eliminated as early as the last 16 for the first time since the 1990 World Cup.
Nyland was outstanding too. He dived to his left to deny Guimaraes’ penalty in the 14th minute and kept out an effort from Endrick late on as Norway clung to a one-goal lead. “Maybe this will write history in Norway,” Haaland said. “Everyone just needs to enjoy themselves. This is just an insane day. It’s one of the most insane days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it, embrace it and enjoy the moment.” Brazil captain Marquinhos lamented missed chances. “We really fell short in the opportunities that we did create,” he said. “We had a penalty kick, we had some other chances as well, but here’s the World Cup for you. Those that make the least mistakes are able to move forward to the next round, and to be victorious.” Norway will take on the winner of the day’s other clash between Mexico and England at the iconic Mexico Stadium, where England was undone by Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” in a 1986 World Cup quarterfinal.
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