EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Erling Haaland scored and Andreas Schjelderup jumped on his teammate’s back. Haaland scored again and Schjerderup rose again.
Haaland headed home the winning goal in the 79th minute and scored again before the end of regulation time to put Norway in the lead. world cup They defeated Brazil 2-1 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time. towering striker On soccer’s biggest stage.
“This will probably go down in Norwegian history,” Haaland said. “Everyone should just have fun. This is a crazy day. One of the craziest days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it, embrace it and enjoy the moment.”
Haaland, who had no influence for much of the afternoon and had limited touches, spoke to coach Stolle Solbakken during the second-half hydration break, telling him to deplete his energy and give it his all.
Haaland switched on when it mattered most, hitting the ball with the right side of his head after a perfect setup from Andreas Schjelderup, who came on at half-time. Minutes later, Haaland scored his seventh goal of the tournament with Danilo’s feet, moving him alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot.
Haaland, who has scored in 14 consecutive international matches, said, “It felt like a gift from God that I actually scored the goal.” He scored 27 points in that stretch and scored 62 points with 54 points against Norway.
On the other hand, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland did a great job. He made important early stops, diving to his left to deny Bruno Guimarães from a penalty in the 14th minute, and then converting Endrik’s shot with his left hand late on when Norway held a one-goal lead.
The only goal Nyland conceded was Neymar’s penalty late in stoppage time, which only changed the final score.
Nyland, 35, is the oldest player on the team and was a big factor in the historic victory, one of the most important in this country’s history, at least on the men’s side. Norway’s women’s team won the 1995 World Cup, but the men’s team has only qualified four times and hasn’t competed since 1998. They did not advance beyond the last 16.
“I think all Norwegians are experiencing the night of a lifetime,” Solbakken said. “Some say we changed Norway forever. They’ll probably party for a week or so.”
Norway will play the winner of the next match. Mexico vs England round of 16 match Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Solbakken said more than a dozen friends have already booked trips to South Florida.
Guimarães becomes the first Brazilian player don’t score He is the first player to take a penalty in a World Cup since Zico in 1986. The decision to have him take penalties instead of star player Vinicius Junior was immediately second-guessed and is likely to continue to be questioned and criticized for quite some time.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti said that after a year of statistical research by himself and his staff, Neymar was not on the field. Rafinha injuredGuimarães was the right choice.
There were a number of other missed opportunities, including Casemiro’s attempt to cross Neymar in what could have been an equalizer.
“We really missed the chances we created,” captain Marquinhos said. “There were penalties and there were other chances, but this is the World Cup. The player who makes the fewest mistakes advances to the next round and wins.”
Brazil returned home well below most expectations for a win or loss for the five-time World Cup champions. The world-class powerhouse team’s streak of consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the tournament ended at eight, and they lost at that stage for the first time since 1990.
It was Brazil’s seventh consecutive loss to a European opponent in the World Cup finals, the first time since defeating Germany in the 2002 final. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paqueta also didn’t help.
Norway brought back defender Julian Ryerson, who had missed the previous two games through injury, and Solbakken was rewarded with Schjölderup making a difference at half-time, setting up each of Haaland’s goals.
“During the match, you have to make decisions that you think are appropriate,” Solbakken said. “I had a gut feeling that Oscar (Bob) and Andreas could make the difference. I felt more confident that they were on the pitch in the second half, as they wanted to be. And you saw what happened.”
Although not as large as the 1998 group stage, these moves contributed to the upset. Norway showed how much they have evolved as a soccer nation since then, defeating Brazil as the latest step in that process.
The number of Selecao fans in yellow outnumbered those in Norway’s red, many of whom took part in the now famous Viking Row in the stands, and Brazilian supporters were also seen cheering before kick-off. After the match, Haaland led a drum-beating celebration and when the Brazilian fans returned, they were stunned into silence.
“I’ve had several peaks during this tournament, but this was a new peak,” Haaland said.
Rapper Jay-Z, comedian Chris Rock, actor Woody Harrelson, actress Sofia Vergara and basketball players were among the sold-out crowd of 80,663. jalen brunson of NBA Champion New York Knickseliciting a healthy roar when he appeared on the video screen.
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