Two Erling Haaland goals were enough for Norway to topple a toothless Brazilian side that embodied the opposite of the Beautiful style that helped the country win five World Cup titles.
Norway headed into the game against Brazil as underdogs, but potent underdogs that have been scoring goals in this tournament.
Within the first five minutes, Norway showed why they are back on the world stage after a 28-year absence. Patrick Berg fired home an effort from inside the box, but the officials ruled that goal out for offside in the buildup. Minutes later, Brazil responded by winning a penalty after Ajer brought down Matheus Cunha inside the box. However, Bruno Guimarães failed to score as former Aston Villa and Bournemouth goalkeeper Orjan Nyland denied him.
From then on, Brazil focused on counterattacks against a team they could not cope with in midfield. Martin Ødegaard, Berge, and Fulham’s Sander Berge proved too much for Guimaraes and Casemiro. At the start of the second half, Selecao conceded possession, and they paid for it dearly with just 11 minutes to go.
Substitute Andreas Schjelderup delivered a brilliant cross for Erling Haaland to attack in the box, and the Manchester City man towered over Gabriel Magalhães to head home the opener in the 79th minute.
Ten minutes later, Haaland sealed Norway’s place in the last eight with a thumping finish from just outside the box after receiving a pass from Schjelderup once again.
Two assists from Schjelderup and two goals for Haaland were enough to knock Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil out of the tournament.
Although Neymar scored a penalty in the 10th minute of added time, it only served as a consolation for the Brazilian star at the MetLife Stadium, the same stadium where he made his debut for the Selecao back in 2010.
