The man England fears the most – Haaland sends Norway into the history books

Erling Haaland’s blonde, wavy hair is usually one of the easiest things to spot on a football pitch. Most often, it storms into open space at full speed, with defenders in tow.

On Sunday, it was not as much the case. Nevertheless, he scored twice as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time ever.

The experts believe the chance of World Cup gold would be greater if England faced Brazil than Norway in the quarter-finals. – The reason is someone they know well from the Premier League. Seen from Norwegian eyes, England have more to fear than just Haaland. You should not ignore the fact that Sander Berge will be there and warn up with the first Hattrick in history.

Read on Sporten: The whole of England thinks it is only Erling Haaland they should fear

The 25-year-old only had four touches inside the box in the last eight – but with one of them he broke the deadlock after 79 minutes. And his second, eleven minutes later – a low shot from outside the box – underlined the clinical finish that makes him one of the world’s most feared strikers.

With his seven goals, he is now on a par with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot league.

“You don’t see any other player do that,” said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live about the winning goal. “There wasn’t a chance there. Not half a chance, not a quarter chance. Nothing.

“People keep talking about how many touches he has,” former England striker Ian Wright said on ITV. “He didn’t need many touches.

Norway’s historic achievement

Haaland’s goal secured a historic victory over the South Americans. After participating in a World Cup for the first time since 1998, Ståle Solbakken’s side are now just three wins away from an unlikely World Cup title – with England as their next opponent after beating Mexico 3-2 in a dramatic round of eight.

With gamechanger Haaland in the ranks, Norway believes that anything is possible.

“He has given the whole country the belief that they can go very far in this championship,” Wayne Rooney said on BBC One.

Haaland’s frightening numbers

Haaland scores an average of one goal every 0.88 games for Norway.

In the national team, he already has five goals against Moldova in one game, and another five hat-tricks.

“Haaland is a huge personality,” former England defender Gary Neville said on ITV. “Sometimes it is said ‘he has never done it on the world stage’ – and that has now been removed.

Haaland has really delivered on the biggest stage – with seven goals in four games. He had scored twice against both Iraq and Senegal in the group stage, before being rested in the 4-1 loss to France. That rest period seems to have paid off, with the double against Brazil as well as the late winning goal against Ivory Coast in the round of 32.

Haaland now has 62 goals in 54 senior caps – an average of one goal every 71 minutes. Even more impressive: only six of the goals have been penalties.

The Manchester City striker has now scored in all of his last 14 official international matches, recording 27 goals in that period. You have to go all the way back to October 2024 to find a competitive match where he didn’t score for Norway – against Austria in the Nations League.

Haaland 1-0 Gabriel on the big stage

There was a lot of talk about Haaland’s duel with Arsenal centre-back Gabriel before kick-off – and in the final chapter of their rivalry, Haaland had the last word.

Gabriel seemed to have the upper hand when Haaland was limited to one touch in the box before half-time. But as the game opened up, so did the room for Norway’s captain – and Brazil had to pay.

It was Gabriel that Haaland jumped over when he headed in the lead goal. And on his second goal, Gabriel was just a spectator.

Haaland had just 30 touches in the entire game – as many as Antonio Nusa, who was taken off at half-time – and completed just 13 passes. His expected goals (xG) of 0.39 also indicated that he was far from dominant. But there was no doubt about who became Norway’s hero.

“Does he ever have many touches?” said former Arsenal defender Matt Upson on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Not really. That’s how he plays. It’s all about moments – decisive moments when he appears.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock added:

“I think he has averaged around 14 touches per goal. That says everything about him. He makes unselfish runs in the back room, holding defenders tight and allowing the midfield to rise forward.

“One of the wildest days in Norwegian history”

Haaland himself believes he is reaching a “new high”.

“I reached the top a couple of times in this championship, but then I get a new peak again,” he said. “If I get one or two chances, I often score. It’s about focus and taking the chances. And I usually do – even if I don’t score on the first one.

Long before kick-off, thousands of Norwegian supporters had gathered outside the stadium – many with Viking helmets, waving giant red flags, singing songs that have become famous throughout the World Cup.

There was excitement, yes – but also something else: faith. A quiet conviction that this team could compete with anyone.

For years, Norway has followed major tournaments from a distance – despite the fact that they have produced world-class players. This is only the country’s fourth World Cup participation – and the first since 1998. The furthest they had come before this year were two quarter-finals 50 years apart – in 1938 and 1998.

They had never won a World Cup playoff match until last Tuesday. Now they have won two in a row – the last against the five-time world champions and the most decorated team in tournament history.

“I told the guys that I don’t think it’s 50-50, but we have a chance if we play at our best and have match-winners – and we did,” Solbakken said.

At full-time, it was Haaland who led the celebrations – beating the drum while he and his teammates performed the iconic “Viking Row” with the supporters.

“This is just crazy,” Haaland said. “It’s one of the wildest days in Norwegian history.

Warnock said:

“He’s hugely emotional – and for good reason. He plays for one of the world’s best club teams. But when he plays for Norway, they are not a big name. They are making history – and he is at the forefront of it.

Solbakken himself:

“The whole nation is rowing together. And by that I mean that we have a great party here – and in Oslo, and in all the other big and small cities throughout Norway. Rowing is a symbol that we are together. Those are great days – a great summer to be a fan. I think it’s better to be a fan than a coach.

Rowing has taken over the World Championships. And now Wayne Rooney has to row down the Mersey River – after he promised that he would do so if Norway reached the quarter-finals.

Wayne Rooney wants to “Viking row” down the River Mersey when Norway beats Brazil