Norway Stuns Brazil: Haaland Sends Scandinavians Into First-Ever World Cup Quarterfinal

For Brazil, which had won five World Cup titles between 1958 and 2002, it was the earliest World Cup defeat in 36 years and the sixth consecutive knockout round in which the Seleção fell to a European opponent. The last Brazilian World Cup final had been won by the South Americans in 2002 against Germany; since then, "verlängert sich die Leidenszeit der brasilianischen Anhänger von 24 Jahren ohne WM-Titel."

Historic Evening for Norway

The match in front of 80,663 spectators at the venue scheduled to host the World Cup final in two weeks began in the worst possible way for the Norwegians. Referee Ismail Elfath from the USA awarded a penalty in the 14th minute following a foul by Kristoffer Ajer on Matheus Cunha and a video assistant's recommendation. Bruno Guimarães stepped up, but the 35-year-old Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, who is without a club and formerly played for RB Leipzig, guessed the right corner and made the save.

The saved penalty was already the second Brazilian miss from the spot in a World Cup match since Zico in 1986 in the semifinal against France. Nyland, who had already had to watch a Norwegian goal by Patrick Berg in the 3rd minute ruled out for an offside position by Alexander Sørloth, became the match-winner for the Scandinavians with further strong saves against Vinicius Junior (40th) and Gabriel Martinelli.

Nyland Saves Penalty and Becomes the Hero

Coach Ståle Solbakken, who at halftime had substituted his wingers Alexander Sörloth and Antonio Nusa, bringing on Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup, set his team up in controlled fashion after the break. Norway, somewhat surprisingly, had clearly more of the game and pushed for the decisive goal, while the Brazilians admittedly had "die besseren Torchancen" but failed to convert them.

In the 59th minute, the just-substituted 19-year-old Endrick, Brazil's greatest offensive talent, missed the biggest opportunity to take the lead when he chipped the ball over the Norwegian keeper but also past the goal. Vinicius Junior (40th), Gabriel Martinelli, and the substitute Neymar also found their master in Nyland.

Haaland Decides the Game in the Final Minutes

Right in the middle of Brazil's spell of pressure, the Norwegians struck. In the 79th minute, Haaland beat Brazilian defender Gabriel to a cross from Schjelderup and headed in to make it 1-0. The Manchester City striker thus netted his sixth goal of the tournament. Just a few minutes later, in the 90th minute, Haaland sealed the win with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, his seventh tournament goal.

With his World Cup goals, Haaland drew level with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in the tournament's scoring chart. It was already his third brace at this World Cup. Overall, the 25-year-old, who previously played for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, has scored 62 goals in 54 international matches and has found the net 27 times in his last 14 international appearances.

Carlo Ancelotti, the first non-Brazilian coach of the Seleção, had opted for attacking changes, bringing on Endrick, Danilo Santos, and Neymar among others. In the 90+10th minute, Brazil received a second penalty after a foul punished following a VAR review. Neymar, who had come into the match with 130 caps and as Brazil's all-time leading scorer, converted to make it 1-2 — it was his 80th goal in a national team shirt. That was as far as it went.

Neymar's Tearful Farewell

After the final whistle, bitter tears flowed for Neymar. "Nun ist es vorbei. Es hat hier begonnen, es hört hier auf," said the 34-year-old, who with Brazil was unable to win any major title apart from the 2013 Confederations Cup. Patrick Berg, whose goal in the 3rd minute was disallowed for offside, also failed to score.

Norway thus survived two knockout rounds of a World Championship for the first time and remains unbeaten in five meetings with Brazil. Three wins, including two at a World Cup, and two draws are the Scandinavians' record against the five-time world champion, who for the Brazilians has become an "Angstgegner." With the success in East Rutherford, Solbakken's team wrote another chapter of Norwegian football history.

Criticism of Referee Elfath

In the Norwegian camp, the historic victory was celebrated wildly. Haaland drummed out a rhythm for the fans, while his father Alf-Inge Haaland danced in a VIP box to the hit "Take on me." Among the spectators were also Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

The refereeing performance was meanwhile critically assessed by experts. Former Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich said as an expert on MagentaTV: "Ich finde, dass die Entscheidungsqualität der Schiedsrichter auf dem Platz nachlässt." Ittrich also pointed out that the video assistant had not shown the 44-year-old Elfath a prior foul on Norway's Antonio Nusa. Neymar received the only yellow card of the match.

Quarterfinal Preview in Miami

Norway faces the winner of the match between Mexico and England in the quarterfinal on Saturday in Miami. The World Cup adventure continues for Haaland and his team, while Brazil heads home without a title and without its record scorer following its earliest exit in 36 years.