Haaland stuns Brazil as Norway reaches first World Cup quarterfinals

Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium and reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the country’s history. Haaland scored in the 79th minute and again in the 90th, turning a tight round-of-16 match into one of the tournament’s biggest shocks before Neymar’s penalty in the 90+10 minute only narrowed the margin.

The result cut down a Brazil side that arrived with five World Cup titles and left with an early exit in the round of 16. FIFA framed Norway’s victory as an upset on the scale of the occasion, and the scoreline reflected a team that waited for its moments, defended its box, and punished the openings that came late. Ørjan Nyland was central to that outcome, with FIFA highlighting the goalkeeper’s decisive work under pressure as Brazil chased the equalizer.

The match also clarified why the upset landed so hard: Norway did not need to dominate possession to control the result. Haaland’s finishing gave the side a ruthless edge, while Nyland’s saves held off the Brazilian response long enough for the counterpunch to matter. Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty, converted deep into added time, arrived only after Norway had already imposed the harder lesson on the night, that discipline and precision can overwhelm pedigree when the margin is thin.

The victory came in a World Cup being staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with 48 teams and 104 matches. It also set Norway into the last eight for the first time, a milestone that gives the country a new place in its football history and shifts attention to how far a team built on concentration and efficiency can go from here.

Elsewhere in the bracket, England joined Norway in the quarterfinals after edging Mexico 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca in Ciudad de México. England finished the match with ten players and held on for more than half an hour in numerical disadvantage, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice and Harry Kane adding the third. FIFA noted that England returned to Mexico City, site of its 1986 quarter-final defeat to Argentina and the enduring memory of Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” moment, and this time left with a place in the last eight.